Congenital Malaria and Its Associated Factors at Issaka Gazobi Maternity of Niamey in Niger

Abstract

Background. Congenital malaria is a serious and common infection in tropical Africa. It has multiple consequences on the newborn and the mother. Objective. The objective of this study is to calculate the prevalence of congenital malaria, describe its clinical signs, and analyze its associated factors. Methodology. It is a cross-sectional and prospective study, conducted at Issaka Gazobi Maternity of Niamey, from June 1 to November 30, 2017. The diagnosis was made by microscopy of a thick and thin blood smear of mother, newborn, and umbilical cord. Results. Two hundred and forty-nine (249) consecutive newborn/mother pairs were included. The prevalence of congenital malaria infection was 26.51% (66/249) with a parasite density of 101 P/μl (SD: 47.3; [80; 320]). The prevalence of congenital malaria disease was 14.06% (35/249) with a parasite density of 108 P/μl (SD: 32.6; [40; 200]. All patients were infected with Plasmodium falciparum. 43% (18/35) of neonates had hyperthermia and did not have a sucking reflex, 8.5% (3/35) were anaemic, 11.42% (4/35) had convulsed, 20% (7/35) had a coma, and 45.71% (16/35) had a low birth weight. No deaths were recorded, and only the nonuse of bed nets was significantly associated with congenital malaria ( p = 0.04 ). Conclusion. In Niger, one out of four newborns is infected with Plasmodium. Infection can progress to congenital malaria disease. The use of mosquito nets and intermittent preventive treatment would reduce the incidence of congenital malaria.

Congenital malaria: Frequency and epidemiology in Colombia, 2009-2020

“…The CM was statistically higher in newborn whose mothers had malaria in the last year, gestational and placental malaria, although only placental malaria was significant in the multivariate adjustment. These findings differ from previous studies that have documented other factors associated with CM such as low birth weight, anemia, preterm delivery [7], maternal parasitaemia, pregnancies, maternal age [9,11], maternal hemoglobin level [11], and use of mosquito net [10]. In this sense, the current study only agrees with the research of Hangi et al, who reported the association with placental malaria [9].…”

“…In this study, a frequency of 12.2% (95%CI = 9.4-14.9) was found, which is lower than those reported in studies from Africa that used a similar case definition, that is, positive by TBS or PCR in peripheral or cord blood samples, in which prevalences between 18.6% and 56.8% were reported [7,11]. It is also totally different from studies that evaluated both blood samples with TBS, which reported frequencies of 6.1% [9] and 26.5% [10], and also from the figures of a meta-analysis in which no cases were reported for the Colombian studies (although this figure of 0.0 is consistent with the TBS results of the current study) [13]. This contrast in figures accounts for Colombia's epidemiological and parasitological peculiarities that, despite not Compared to Colombian studies that tested umbilical cord samples with TBS, the current data are the same as other two previous studies that did not find cases with this test [17,19], and are lower than the first investigations in the country about CM that registered frequencies of 2.7% [14], 2.4% [16] and 1.8% [15].…”

“…Other studies found an association with maternal age and hemoglobin, but not with parity, educational level, use of a mosquito net, area of residence, or neonatal weight [11]. While other authors only reported an association with the use of mosquito net [10].…”

“…In epidemiological terms, CM frequency is highly heterogeneous between and within countries, with figures ranging between 0.3% and 37% [6,8]. For example, an incidence of 42.4% [7] was found in 112 Indonesian mother-child pairs by TBS or PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction); In Uganda, a cross-sectional study of 261 mother-newborn pairs using TBS from umbilical cord blood found an incidence of 6.1% [9]; in Niger, in 249 neonates where peripheral and cord blood were tested, the incidence was 26.5% [10]; and in Sudan, including positives in newborn peripheral or umbilical cord blood, it was 18.6% by TBS and 56.8% by qPCR (quantitative) [11].…”

Congenital Malaria in a 20-Day-Old Neonate: A Case Report and Literature Review

“…This can happen if the mother experiences malaria symptoms during pregnancy, but it can also occur in cases where the mother is asymptomatic, making it difficult to diagnose both in the mother and the newborn. 1,2 It is a rare but serious condition that can result in significant morbidity and mortality in neonates. 1 Plasmodium falciparum is the most prevalent species involved in congenital malaria; however, Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium malariae can also be involved.…”