title: Alterations in the profile of blood cell types during malaria in previously unexposed primigravid monkeys.
abstract: Malaria in nonimmune, primigravid women threatens both mother and fetus. We used the Plasmodium coatneyi/rhesus monkey model to examine factors associated with this. Clinical and immunologic responses during the blood stage of chronic malaria (4 months) were evaluated in 8 malaria-naive primigravid (PMI) and 8 age-matched nulligravid (NMI) infected monkeys, compared with those in 8 primigravid, noninfected control monkeys. Although parasitemia levels were similar, recrudescence was more frequent and prolonged, and anemia was more severe in PMI than in NMI monkeys. During infection, CD2+, CD4+, and CD8+ lymphocyte levels were higher in NMI than in PMI monkeys. Monocyte and neutrophil levels were lower in PMI than in NMI monkeys. During chronic, untreated malaria, NMI monkeys had a B lymphocyte count 23 times greater than that of PMI monkeys. Pregnancy-induced immunomodulation, defined as a lack of appropriate cellular responses to malaria, was indiscernible until the immune system was challenged by a pathogen.
authors.affiliation: Division of Comparative Pathology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Covington, Louisiana 70433, USA. billie@tpc.tulane.edu
authors.forename: Billie B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Davison
authors.forename: M Bernice
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Kaack
authors.forename: Linda B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.forename: Kelsi K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Rasmussen
authors.forename: Terri
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rasmussen
authors.forename: Elizabeth W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Henson
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Montenegro
authors.forename: Michael C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Henson
authors.forename: Fawaz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mzwaek
authors.forename: Donald J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Krogstad
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D005260:Female; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D008288:Malaria / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D018512:Parasitemia; D011247:Pregnancy; D011250:Pregnancy Complications, Hematologic / Q000469:parasitology; D015597:Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets