Risk factors of malaria infection during pregnancy in Burkina Faso: suggestion of a genetic influence.
A cohort of 570 untreated pregnant women from Burkina Faso was studied to assess the influence of epidemiologic factors on malaria infection, which was quantified as the mean of serial, season-adjusted parasitemia measurements (mean parasite density [MPD]) carried out during the last five months of gestation. A significant effect of the area of maternal residence on the MPD was found (P < 0.003) and was probably due to geographic differences in mosquito transmission conditions. The strong relationship observed between parity and malaria infection (P < 0.0001), with MPD levels decreasing as the number of gestations increased, confirms that primigravidae are a high-risk group whose protection should be a priority. After adjustment for two relevant epidemiologic factors (i.e., area of residence and parity), the residual MPD values fitted a mixture of two distributions. This result supports the view that a major gene is involved in the determination of malaria infection intensities and is consistent with the results of a recent familial study in Cameroon.
Cot
M
M
ORSTOM Center Muraz, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso.
Abel
L
L
Roisin
A
A
Barro
D
D
Yada
A
A
Carnevale
P
P
Feingold
J
J
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D002050:Burkina Faso; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008288:Malaria / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000469:parasitology; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000469:parasitology; D010298:Parity; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000254:growth & development*; D010965:Plasmodium malariae / Q000254:growth & development*; D011247:Pregnancy; D015597:Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic / Q000209:etiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012307:Risk Factors; D012621:Seasons