The consequences of placental malaria include fetal death, preterm delivery and low birth weight of the infant. Humoral immunity is a key component in naturally acquired immunity to clinical malaria. blood) for individual infants and mothers and their corresponding levels of BAFF. (DOCX) pone.0245431.s008.docx (25K) GUID:?DB312C6E-8070-40F3-8A72-8E053F20A54B S6 Table: Correlation between BAFF-levels and subsets of B cells in infants. Boxes with significant correlations are filled with light grey.(DOCX) pone.0245431.s009.docx (26K) GUID:?6815CA74-6FE2-4E95-ADCA-2818EF38B2F8 S7 Table: Correlation between BAFF-levels and Pf+ subsets of B cells in infants. Boxes with significant correlations are filled with light grey.(DOCX) pone.0245431.s010.docx (26K) GUID:?EF62D674-EEA7-415A-AF64-83013C4D7C78 S8 Table: Correlation between BAFF-levels and subsets of B cells in mothers. Boxes with significant correlations are filled with light grey.(DOCX) pone.0245431.s011.docx (24K) GUID:?3B917E98-E8C7-405D-A94B-E437CF3F771E S9 Table: Correlation between BAFF-levels and subsets of Pf+ B cells in mothers. Boxes with significant correlations are filled with light grey.(DOCX) pone.0245431.s012.docx (39K) GUID:?E088DBEB-4231-4BA9-BA92-9E8077B14883 S1 File: (PDF) pone.0245431.s013.pdf (160K) GUID:?11160324-66EB-4D34-B471-F53C3C21FC75 Data Availability StatementAll relevant data are within the manuscript and its Supporting Information files. Abstract Malaria is a potentially life-threatening disease with approximately half of the worlds population at risk. Young children and pregnant women are hit GLPG0259 hardest by the disease. B cells and antibodies are part of an adaptive GLPG0259 immune response protecting individuals continuously exposed to the parasite. An infection with can cause dysregulation of B cell homeostasis, while antibodies are known to be key in controlling symptoms and parasitemia. BAFF is an instrumental cytokine for the development and maintenance of B cells. Pregnancy alters the immune status and renders previously clinically immune women at risk of severe malaria, potentially due to altered HNPCC B cell responses associated with changes in BAFF levels. In this prospective study, we investigated the levels of BAFF in a malaria-endemic area in mothers and their infants from birth up to 9 months. We found that BAFF-levels are significantly higher in infants than in mothers. BAFF is highest in cord blood and then drops rapidly, but remains significantly higher in infants compared to mothers even at 9 months of age. We further correlated BAFF levels to malaria remains a major global health concern and is estimated to cause over 400 000 deaths every year [1]. Children under five and pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa are most severely affected by the disease. Malaria during pregnancy can cause symptoms of disease even in women who grew up in malaria-endemic areas and thus acquired clinical immunity prior to the GLPG0259 pregnancy [2]. The placenta offers a new breeding ground for the malaria parasite with resulting erythrocytic sequestration through pregnancy-specific virulence factors, such as placental adhesion by the VAR2CSA protein [3]. The consequences of placental malaria include fetal death, preterm delivery and low birth weight of the infant. Humoral immunity is a key component in naturally acquired immunity to clinical malaria. This has been shown by passive transfer of immunoglobulins from malaria-immune adults to children with acute malaria, resulting in a drop in parasite levels and clinical improvement [4]. Also, in primigravidae women, the risk of complications in the fetus as well as in the mother is higher than in multigravidae women, and antibodies against VAR2CSA have been shown to correlate with protection [5C8]. Achieving clinical immunity to malaria takes years of exposure, and antibody responses are known to be short-lived in the absence of continuous infections, especially in children, even though more long-lived responses have also been seen [9C12]. B cells, as the source of antibodies, have been shown GLPG0259 to be dysregulated by malaria infection [13C15]. The mechanisms behind, and consequences of this disrupted B cell homeostasis are currently unclear. B cell activating factor (BAFF) is a cytokine belonging to the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family of ligands, and is released by myeloid cells such GLPG0259 as monocytes, macrophages and dendritic cells [16]. BAFF is known as a survival factor for B cells and is effective throughout the developmental stages of a B cell after release from the bone marrow.
The consequences of placental malaria include fetal death, preterm delivery and low birth weight of the infant
