MALARIA IMMUNOLOGY AND GENETICS IN THE AMAZON (MIGIA) PROJECT

这个子项目是利用由NIH/NCRR资助的中心拨款提供的资源的许多研究子项目之一。子项目和调查员(PI)可能从另一个NIH来源获得了主要资金，因此可能会出现在其他CRISE条目中。列出的机构是针对中心的，而不一定是针对调查员的机构。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机制却知之甚少。秘鲁洛雷托省在过去15年中经历了因间日疟原虫和恶性疟原虫而重新出现的疟疾。据报告，这两种疟原虫引起的无症状感染在该地区的普通人群中频率很高，这表明尽管传播率很低，但对临床疟疾已经形成了保护性免疫。在一项调查居住在秘鲁伊基托斯亚马孙低地的孕妇中疟疾感染的研究中，假设这种获得性免疫是由抗体介导的，可以预防怀孕期间疟疾感染的严重母婴并发症，包括胎盘性疟疾、婴儿低出生体重和产妇贫血。该项目的第三个具体目标之一是通过对伊基托斯地区妇女胎盘组织切片中疟疾寄生虫和血吸虫沉积的组织病理学检测，评估目前和过去胎盘疟疾感染的频率。一旦进行评估，将妊娠期间有疟疾感染证据(血涂片阳性或聚合酶链式反应阳性)的妇女与没有怀孕期间感染证据的妇女的胎盘组织病理学结果进行比较。目的是确定胎盘发现与孕期疟疾感染、抗体滴度以及母婴结局之间是否存在关系。病理学部从秘鲁采集的胎盘活检组织制备切片并染色，戴维森博士协助博士生Falgunee Parekh进行组织病理学评估。目前正在对结果进行评估，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.