title: Macrophage migration inhibitory factor and placental malaria infection in an area characterized by unstable malaria transmission in central Sudan.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The pathogenesis of malaria during pregnancy is not fully understood. A proinflammatory cytokine, macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is suggested as a factor involved in the pathogenesis of malaria during pregnancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study was conducted in Medani Hospital, Sudan to investigate MIF levels in placental malaria. Obstetrical and medical characteristics were gathered from each parturient woman using questionnaires. All women (151) were investigated for malaria using blood film and placental histology. MIF levels were measured using ELISA in paired maternal and cord blood samples.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no P. falciparum-positive blood films obtained from maternal peripheral blood, placenta or cord samples. Out of 151 placentae, four (2.6%), one (0.7%), 32 (21.2%) showed acute, chronic and past infection on histopathology examinations respectively, while the rest (114; 75.5%) of them showed no signs of infection.There was no significant difference in the median (interquartile) of maternal [5.0 (3.7─8.8) vs 6.2(3.5─12.0) ng/ml, P=0.643] and cord [8.1(3.3─16.9) vs 8.3(4.2─16.9), ng/ml, P= 0.601] MIF levels between women with a positive result for placental malaria infection (n=37) and women with a negative result for placental malaria infection (n=114). In regression models placental malaria was not associated with maternal MIF, hemoglobin or birth weight. MIF was not associated with hemoglobin or birth weight .
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was no association between maternal and cord MIF levels, placental malaria, maternal hemoglobin and birth weight.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, 11115, Sudan.
authors.forename: Reem
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Eltayeb
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, 11115, Sudan.
authors.forename: Naser
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bilal
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, 11115, Sudan.
authors.forename: Awad-Elkareem
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Abass
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, University of Geziera, Medani, 11111, Sudan.
authors.forename: Elhassan M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Elhassan
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Ribat University, Khartoum, 11111, Sudan.
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mohammed
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, 11115, Sudan.
authors.forename: Ishag
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Adam
keywords: Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF); Sudan; birth weight; hemoglobin; malaria