WOMEN who live in countries where malaria is rife are more likely to become infected when they are pregnant. Now Michal Fried and her colleagues at the US Army Medical Research Unit in Nairobi, Kenya, think they know why this happens. Some malaria parasites seem to attach themselves to proteins that are thought to be found only in the placenta.
The placentas of pregnant African women, particularly those who are carrying their first child, are often clogged with malaria parasites. These parasites can cause anaemia, which in turn can lead to premature labour and undersized babies.
The researchers realised that the parasites which infect pregnant women are for some reason not recognised by the immune system. "It's either a different parasite altogether, or it's the same parasite binding to a totally different receptor in the placenta," says Fried.
Malaria-infected red blood cells stick to the walls of blood vessels by ...
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