Malaria is a major health threat worldwide with an estimated 229 million cases and 409,000 deaths in 2019 (WHO, World Malaria Report 2019). Vulnerable are young children and pregnant women. The study aims to investigate immunity development against malaria with regard to parasite, human, and socioeconomic factors and possible correlations with pathology or protection in a prospective birth cohort.

Detailed Description

Malaria during pregnancy poses substantial risks for the mother and her foetus. Due to the risk of malaria during early childhood, the study addresses the high malaria morbidity and mortality in young children. Though recognised as a public health issue, it has still not been well understood how clinical immunity against malaria parasites develops, which parasite and host factors play a role in infection susceptibility, and why some infections proceed to develop severe complications while others resolve after a mild disease.

In order to identify interactions between parasite and host, a longitudinal study is performed starting with the recruitment of pregnant women. The study is conducted in Agogo in Ghana, an area with high malaria endemicity. The study design allows to analyse the neonatal immune status at birth, after potential in-utero exposure, and follows the development of immunity over the first 36 months of life. The current paradigm is that time points and frequency of infection as well as the type of variant surface antigen expressed have an impact on the cellular and humoral immune response to malaria, the development of clinical immunity, as well as the risk for future complications.

Contact partner institutions:
Oumou Maïga-Ascofaré
Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research (KCCR), Ghana