Title
Malaria in pregnant women living in areas of low transmission on the southeast Brazilian coast: Molecular diagnosis and humoural immunity profile
Date Issued
01 December 2014
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Hristov A.D.
Sanchez M.C.A.
Ferreira J.J.B.
Lima G.F.M.d.C.
Inoue J.
Costa-Nascimento M.d.J.
Sanchez A.R.
Di Santi S.M.
Universidad de Sao Paulo
Publisher(s)
Fundación Oswaldo Cruz
Abstract
Studies on autochthonous malaria in low-transmission areas in Brazil have acquired epidemiological relevance because they suggest continued transmission in what remains of the Atlantic Forest. In the southeastern portion of the state of São Paulo, outbreaks in the municipality of Juquitiba have been the focus of studies on the prevalence of Plasmodium, including asymptomatic cases. Data on the occurrence of the disease or the presence of antiplasmodial antibodies in pregnant women from this region have not previously been described. Although Plasmodium falciparum in pregnant women has been widely addressed in the literature, the interaction of Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium malariae with this cohort has been poorly explored to date. We monitored the circulation of Plasmodium in pregnant women in health facilities located in Juquitiba using thick blood film and molecular protocols, as well as immunological assays, to evaluate humoural immune parameters. Through real-time and nested polymerase chain reaction, P. vivax and P. malariae were detected for the first time in pregnant women, with a positivity of 5.6%. Immunoassays revealed the presence of IgG antibodies: 44% for ELISA-Pv, 38.4% for SD-Bioline-Pv and 18.4% for indirect immunofluorescence assay-Pm. The high prevalence of antibodies showed significant exposure of this population to Plasmodium. In regions with similar profiles, testing for a malaria diagnosis might be indicated in prenatal care.
Start page
1014
End page
1020
Volume
109
Issue
8
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Inmunología
Obstetricia, Ginecología
Enfermedades infecciosas
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-84918508601
PubMed ID
Source
Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz
ISSN of the container
00740276
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus