MALARIA IMMUNOLOGY AND GENETICS IN THE AMAZON (MIGIA) PROJECT

该子项目是利用NIH/NCRR资助的中心赠款提供的资源的许多研究子项目之一。子项目和研究者（PI）可能从另一个NIH来源获得了主要资金，因此可以在其他CRISP条目中表示。所列机构为中心，不一定是研究者所在机构。孕妇对疟疾的易感性增加及其对胎儿的不利影响是众所周知的。然而，与妊娠期疟疾并发症相关的流行病学因素和免疫学机制知之甚少。秘鲁的洛雷托省在过去15年中由于间日疟原虫和恶性疟原虫而再次出现疟疾。据报告，这两种疟原虫引起的无症状感染在该地区的一般人群中发生的频率很高，这表明尽管传播率很低，但对临床疟疾的保护性免疫已经形成。 在一项调查生活在秘鲁伊基托斯亚马逊低地的孕妇疟疾感染的研究中，假设这种获得性免疫是抗体介导的，并保护孕妇和胎儿免受妊娠期间疟疾感染的严重并发症，包括胎盘疟疾、婴儿低出生体重和孕妇贫血。该项目的第三个具体目标之一是通过组织病理学检测伊基托妇女胎盘组织切片中的疟原虫和疟原虫色素沉积，评估当前和过去胎盘疟疾感染的频率。一旦评估，胎盘组织病理学结果进行了比较，在妇女的证据，疟疾感染在怀孕期间（阳性血涂片或PCR），从妇女没有证据的感染在怀孕期间。目的是确定胎盘检查结果与妊娠期间疟疾感染、抗体滴度以及母体和胎儿结局之间是否存在关系。病理学部门从秘鲁收集的胎盘活检组织制备并染色切片，Davison博士协助博士生Falgunee Parekh进行组织病理学评价。目前正在对结果进行评估，评估结果将于2006年公布。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The increased susceptibility of pregnant women to malaria and its adverse effects on the fetus are well established. However the epidemiologic factors and immunologic mechanisms associated with the complications of malaria in pregnancy are poorly understood. The Department of Loreto, Peru has experienced a re-emergence of malaria due to P. vivax and P. falciparum during the last 15 years. A high frequency of asymptomatic infections caused by both these Plasmodium species has been reported in the general population of this region indicating that despite low transmission, protective immunity to clinical malaria has developed. In a study investigating malaria infection in pregnant women living in the Amazon lowlands of Iquitos, Peru it was hypothesized that this acquired immunity is antibody mediated and protects against severe maternal and fetal complications of malaria infection during pregnancy, including placental malaria, infant low birth weight and maternal anemia. One of the goals of this project addressed in its third specific aim was to assess the frequency of both current and past placental malaria infection by histopathologic detection of malaria parasites and hemozoin deposition in placental tissue sections from women in Iquitoes. Once evaluated, the placental histopathologic findings were compared in women with evidence of malaria infection during pregnancy (postitive blood smears or PCR) to that from women with no evidence of infection during pregnancy. The goal was to determine if there is a relationship between the placental findings and malaria infection during pregnancy, antibody titers, and maternal and fetal outcomes. The Division of Pathology prepared and stained sections from placental biopsy tissue collected in Peru and Dr Davison assisted the doctoral student, Falgunee Parekh with the histopathologic evaluations. The results are being evaluated at this time and the results will be published in 2006.