BUSCADOR RECOLECTA

Dataset used for the publication 'Epidemiological profile of over 2800 individuals at risk for Trypanosoma cruzi infection in a non-endemic country. Insights of initial evaluation of cardiac and digestive involvement'

P. vivax is a major parasite responsible for malaria in humans. While it is well known that pregnant women have an increased risk of P. falciparum infection and disease, less is known on the epidemiology and the impact of P. vivax in pregnancy. We conducted a health-facility based observational study in pregnant women from five endemic countries aimed to determine the burden of P. vivax infection in pregnancy and its impact on the mother and the newborn. We found that the prevalence of P. vivax malaria in pregnant women was overall low across sites, however submicroscopic infections were significantly higher in some areas. Pregnant women with clinical malaria experienced an increased risk of anaemia, which may have an impact on infant health. The results of this study can be useful to guide maternal health programs in settings where vivax malaria is endemic, and they highlight the importance to address a special population such as pregnant women while embracing malaria elimination in endemic countries.

P. vivax infection during pregnancy has been associated with poor outcomes such as anemia, low birth weight and congenital malaria, thus representing an important global health problem. However, no vaccine is currently available for its prevention. Vir genes were the first putative virulent factors associated with P. vivax infections, yet very few studies have examined their potential role as targets of immunity. We investigated the immunogenic properties of five VIR proteins and two long synthetic peptides containing conserved VIR sequences (PvLP1 and PvLP2) in the context of the PregVax cohort study including women from five malaria endemic countries: Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, India and Papua New Guinea (PNG) at different timepoints during and after pregnancy. Antibody responses against all antigens were detected in all populations, with PNG women presenting the highest levels overall. P. vivax infection at sample collection time was positively associated with antibody levels against PvLP1 (fold-increase: 1.60 at recruitment -first antenatal visit-) and PvLP2 (fold-increase: 1.63 at delivery), and P. falciparum co-infection was found to increase those responses (for PvLP1 at recruitment, fold-increase: 2.25). Levels of IgG against two VIR proteins at delivery were associated with higher birth weight (27 g increase per duplicating antibody levels, p<0.5). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from PNG uninfected pregnant women had significantly higher antigen-specific IFN-g TH1 responses (p=0.006) and secreted less pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF and IL-6 after PvLP2 stimulation than P. vivax-infected women (p<0.5). These data demonstrate that VIR antigens induce the natural acquisition of antibody and T cell memory responses that might be important in immunity to P. vivax during pregnancy in very diverse geographical settings.