Low Antibody Levels to Pregnancy-specific Malaria Antigens and Heightened Cytokine Responses Associated With Severe Malaria in Pregnancy

Abstract

Pregnant women with SM lack pregnancy-specific malaria immunity, and this correlates with heightened inflammatory cytokine concentrations, low haemoglobin levels and high parasite density, suggesting that failure of antibody to control parasitaemia may contribute to SM pathogenesis.