title: An unusual presentation of placental malaria: a single persisting nidus of sequestered parasites.
abstract: Placental malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum is a public health concern in tropical countries. Peripheral blood smears to detect placental malaria are often negative, and recrudescences are common during pregnancy. We performed placental histology on a series of first-time mothers delivering in an area endemic for P falciparum. A single nidus of malaria-infected erythrocytes was identified by placental histology in a single intervillous space from a woman who had no other evidence of peripheral or placental blood parasitemia. This finding suggests ring stage-infected erythrocytes sequester in vivo, or P falciparum can persist as a dormant blood stage form.
authors.affiliation: Mother-Offspring Malaria Studies Project, Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, Seattle WA 98109, USA.
authors.forename: Atis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Muehlenbachs
authors.forename: Theonest K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Mutabingwa
authors.forename: Michal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fried
authors.forename: Patrick E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Duffy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010922:Placenta Diseases / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology; D011247:Pregnancy; D015597:Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic / Q000473:pathology*