Malaria and pregnancy in Cameroonian women. Naturally acquired antibody responses to asexual blood-stage antigens and the circumsporozoite protein of Plasmodium falciparum.
Antibody responses to Plasmodium falciparum antigens in women during pregnancy were investigated in Mfou, a rural community in Cameroon. The study consisted of cross-sectional analyses involving 225 pregnant women and 75 non-pregnant controls. Blood samples were collected from each woman to determine serological reactivity to intraerythrocytic malarial antigens, ring-infected erythrocyte surface antigen (RESA) and circumsporozoite (CS) repeat peptide (NANP)5 by the indirect fluorescent antibody assay, modified immunofluorescent antibody assay, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. Reactivity to intraerythrocytic asexual blood-stage antigens and to the CS repeat region was similar in both pregnant and non-pregnant women, and no correlation with parasitaemia was found. In contrast, anti-RESA antibody levels were significantly lower in pregnant than in non-pregnant women (P = 0.02) and in primigravidae than in multigravidae (P = 0.002), and were inversely correlated with parasitaemia (r = -0.36; P < 0.01). These data suggest that the increased susceptibility to malarial infection in pregnant women may be explained in part by their lower reactivity to RESA.
Mvondo
J L
JL
Institute of Medical Research and Study of Medicinal Plants, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
James
M A
MA
Sulzer
A J
AJ
Campbell
C C
CC
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000032:analysis*; D002163:Cameroon / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology; D008423:Maternal Age; D010298:Parity; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000276:immunology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D015597:Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology; D015995:Prevalence; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
D000953:Antigens, Protozoan