Modulation of immune responses during HIV-malaria co-infection in pregnancy

Renée M Ned1, Julie M Moore, Sujittra Chaisavaneeyakorn

  • 1Malaria Branch, Division of Parasitic Diseases, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Public Health Service, Department of Health and Human Services, Chamblee, GA 30341, USA.

Infection with either HIV or malaria during pregnancy often results in adverse outcomes for mother and child. Co-infection further increases the risks of these events, which include maternal anemia and babies with low birth weight. The immunological bases for the increased susceptibility of HIV-infected mothers to malaria and for the effect of co-infection on mother-to-child transmission of HIV are areas of major importance in public health. In this article, we review current data about humoral and cellular responses to HIV-placental-malaria co-infection and present an immunological hypothesis to explain the epidemiological findings.

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