Malaria in Pregnancy: a Study of Plasmodium vivax Infections on Pregnant Women from the Westernmost Region of the Brazilian Amazon

Abstract

Every year about 50 million pregnant women are exposed to malaria This leads to an increased health risk to both the mothers and the developing fetuses. Malaria in Pregnancy (MiP) is caracterised by the sequestration of parasites in the placenta, by an increase in maternal anaemia, intra-uterine gowth restriction and diminished foetal viability. Plasmodium vivax is the dominant malaria species outside África, being responsible for between 25 to 40% of the world's malaria cases. In Brazil, where infections by Pv are predominant, about 95% of the cases are found in Amazônia Legal where 500 thousand new cases are recorded every year. Despite its high prevalence and its possible association with important pregnancy complications, the effects of Pv infections during pregnancy, and its pathological signatures are still not fully understood. This project aims at studying the placental histopathological changes associated with Pv infections in pregnant womem from the municipality of Cruzeiro do Sul (Acre), as well as to understand some of the possible pathological mechanisms involved. The knowledge obtained with this study will provide an important contribution for the MiP field. More importantly, this work will enable new studies aimed at developing new strategies and methodologies for the treatment of MiP in Brazil.