Novel biomarkers in the pathogenesis of placental malaria in sub-Saharan Africa

Every year up to 125 million pregnant women are exposed to malaria, half of them in sub-Saharan Africa where a quarter of mothers have evidence of malaria infection in the placenta at delivery. This thesis presents original data on various bio-markers of placental malaria which may provide fresh insights into the pathogenesis of this condition. These include common red cell antigenic variants linked with disease susceptibility, previously unreported observations of parity-specific maternal immune response to malaria, and functional consequences of placental malaria for the neonatal immune system. The findings are discussed in relation to current models of this disease.