Materno-fetal transmission of pregnancy malaria: an immunoparasitological study on 202 parturients in Maputo.

A total of 202 delivering mothers and their newborns were studied with the intention to follow the materno-fetal transmission of malaria. Malaria infection was encountered in 35 cases (17.3%) in which Plasmodium falciparum predominated in peripheral blood while P. malariae predominated on the placental surface. In cord blood P. falciparum was encountered in 1.5% of the cases. There was slightly more maternal infection in rural (23%) than in suburban areas (19%). Less malaria infection was encountered in primiparas than in multiparas and there was similar antibody response in both mothers and their newborns. Anaemia was encountered in 70% of the mothers and in 93% of the newborns. There was no significant correlation between low birthweight of the newborn and malaria parasitaemia in the mother.