A RHESUS MONKEY MODEL OF MALARIA DURING PREGNANCY

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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. We developed a rhesus monkey model to examine the effects of malaria (Plasmodium coatneyi) during pregnancy. This project, supported by an NIH R01, explores maternal immunologic responses, In a prospective study of rhesus monkeys inoculated with Plasmodium coatneyi or saline on an infection/gestational timeline, we determined the serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor type I (sTNFR-I), and soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor type II (sTNFR-II) in peripheral blood throughout primigravid pregnancy, malaria infection, and a combination of the two. Our goal was to determine the association between levels of TNF-alpha and of its 2 soluble receptors and the course of pregnancy and/or malaria and infant outcome. We found that any detectable level of TNF-alpha was always associated with fetal death and that the sTNFRs may be important for fetal protection, possibly through neutralizing the toxic effects of TNF-alpha. Our findings also showed that increased levels of sTNFR-II were associated specifically with malaria and not with normal pregnancy or even pregnancy with low birth weight due to other causes. In contrast, increases in sTNFR-I levels during the later half of normal pregnancies indicate that sTNFR-I may be important in regulating TNF-alpha levels in preparation for normal labor and delivery.