Prevalence of asymptomatic malaria parasitaemia amongst pregnant women

Two hundred and forty-six apparently healthy pregnant women aged 19-40 years, without symptoms were recruited (147 recruited during the dry season and 99 recruited during the rainy season) for the present study. Blood examinations for malaria parasites, Plasmodium falciparum specific-IgG concentration and serological reactivity with P. falciparum-histidine rich protein-2 (HRP-2) antigens were conducted on all the pregnant women during the dry and rainy seasons of the year. During the dry season, 109 (74%) of the recruited pregnant women without symptoms had P. falciparum parasitaemia, while 79 (80%) of the recruited pregnant women without symptoms had P. falciparum parasitaemia during the rainy season. However, the P. falciparum malaria parasites density was significantly raised during the dry season compared with that of in the rainy season (p < 0.05). Serological analysis with P. falciparum histidine rich protein-2 antigen (HRP-2) showed 108 (73%) and 71 (77%) of the pregnant women without symptoms as seropositive during the dry and rainy seasons respectively. The P. falciparum specific-IgG concentration was similar during both seasons in the HRP-2 seropositive pregnant women without symptoms (p > 0.05). The results showed no seasonal tide in the incidences of asymptomatic P. falciparum parasitaemia; however, the significantly raised parasitaemia during the dry season may suggest possible increased parasites tolerance. The P. falciparum specific-IgG concentration during both seasons may not be the primary effector mechanism offering tolerance in asymptomatic parasitaemia in pregnant women.