Abstract

Ousmane Traoré*, Hermann Sorgho, W. Isidore Yerbanga, Toussaint Rouamba, Guillaume S. Sanou, Innocent Valea, Maminata Traoré-Coulibaly, Susana Scott, Petra F. Mens, Henk Schallig, Yves Traoré, Adrien M. G. Belem, Umberto Dâ??Alessandro and Halidou Tinto1

Pregnancy is challenging for women, as their immune system is required not only to protect their body against pathogens, but also to develop an immune tolerance for the foetus growth in utero. However, after delivery little is known about the immunological basis of women susceptibility to malaria infection. The aim of this study was to assess the antibody profiles against VAR2CSA recombinant fragments at delivery and to evaluate their dynamics at 1 and 3 months post-delivery. Sera levels of anti-VAR2CSA antibodies were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay using sera samples collected from primiparous and nulliparous women, using DBL5 and ID1ID2a domains. Pregnancy background information showed that 51.5% of primiparous women experienced at least one malaria episode during their pregnancy. Placental malaria was diagnosed in 23.8% of women at delivery. Women infected during pregnancy showed higher levels of VAR2CSA-specific antibodies. However, the proportion of seropositive individuals decreased during the follow up period. Malaria infection during pregnancy contributes to establish the specific humoral immunity to placental malaria antigens in women living in endemic areas. The naturally acquired specific antibodies are not boosted by postpartum infections; but rather declines overtime.