An unusual presentation of placental malaria: a single persisting nidus of sequestered parasites.
Placental malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum is a public health concern in tropical countries. Peripheral blood smears to detect placental malaria are often negative, and recrudescences are common during pregnancy. We performed placental histology on a series of first-time mothers delivering in an area endemic for P falciparum. A single nidus of malaria-infected erythrocytes was identified by placental histology in a single intervillous space from a woman who had no other evidence of peripheral or placental blood parasitemia. This finding suggests ring stage-infected erythrocytes sequester in vivo, or P falciparum can persist as a dormant blood stage form.
Item Type | Article |
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Keywords | malaria-falciparum, pregnancy, placenta, histology, INFECTED ERYTHROCYTES, Adolescent, Adult, Erythrocytes, parasitology, Female, Humans, Malaria, Falciparum, parasitology, pathology, Middle Aged, Placenta Diseases, parasitology, pathology, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic, pathology |
ISI | 244460100017 |
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