Placental malaria diminishes development of antibody responses to Plasmodium falciparum epitopes in infants residing in an area of western Kenya where P. falciparum is endemic

• Published in: Clinical and diagnostic laboratory immunology Vol. 12; no. 3; pp. 375 - 379
• Main Authors: Bonner, Phillip Cullison, Zhou, Zhiyong, Mirel, Lisa B, Ayisi, John G, Shi, Ya Ping, van Eijk, Anna M, Otieno, Juliana A, Nahlen, Bernard L, Steketee, Richard W, Udhayakumar, Venkatachalam
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Society for Microbiology 01-03-2005
• Subjects: Animals; Antibodies, Protozoan - blood; Antibodies, Protozoan - immunology; Antibody Formation; Endemic Diseases; Epitopes - immunology; Female; Humans; Immunoglobulin G - blood; Infant; Kenya; Malaria - immunology; Male; Microbial Immunology; Placenta Diseases - parasitology; Plasmodium falciparum; Plasmodium falciparum - immunology; Pregnancy; Kenya
• ISSN: 1071-412X; 1098-6588
• DOI: 10.1128/CDLI.12.3.375-379.2005

To determine the effect of placental malaria (PM) infection on the development of antibody responses to malaria in infants, we measured immunoglobulin G levels to seven different Plasmodium falciparum epitopes by using plasma samples collected at monthly intervals from infants born to mothers with and without PM. Overall, PM was associated with diminished antibody levels to all of the epitopes tested, especially with infants aged >or=4 to 12 months, and the difference was statistically significant for four of the seven epitopes (P<0.0035). These findings suggest that PM can negatively influence the development of immune responses to malaria in infants.