Placental Malaria Diminishes Development of Antibody Responses toPlasmodium falciparumEpitopes in Infants Residing in an Area of Western Kenya WhereP. falciparumIs Endemic

Abstract

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.