Maternal malaria but not schistosomiasis is associated with a higher risk of febrile infection in infant during the first 3 months of life: A mother-child cohort in Benin

Gino Agbota*, Katja Polman, Frank T. Wieringa, Maiza Campos-Ponce, Manfred Accrombessi, Emmanuel Yovo, Clémentine Roucher, Sem Ezinmègnon, Javier Yugueros Marcos, Laurence Vachot, Pierre Tissières, Achille Massougbodji, Nadine Fievet, Michel Cot, Valérie Briand

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Background Malaria and schistosomiasis represent two of the most prevalent and disabling parasitic infections in developing countries. Few studies have evaluated the effect of maternal schistosomiasis and malaria in the peri-conceptional period on infant’s risk of infection. Methods In Benin, women were followed from the preconception period until delivery. Subsequently, their children were followed from birth to 3 months of age. Pre-pregnancy malaria, malaria in pregnancy (MiP)—determined monthly using a thick blood smear—and urinary schistosomiasis—determined once before pregnancy and once at delivery using urine filtration—were the main maternal exposures. Infant’s febrile infection (fever with respiratory, gastrointestinal and/or cutaneous clinical signs anytime during follow-up) was the main outcome. In a secondary analysis, we checked the relation of malaria and schistosomiasis with infant’s hemoglobin (Hb) concentration. Both effects were separately assessed using logistic/mixed linear regression models. Results The prevalence of MiP was 35.7% with 10.8% occurring during the 1st trimester, and the prevalence of schistosomiasis was 21.8%. From birth to 3 months, 25.3% of infants had at least one episode of febrile infection. In multivariate analysis, MiP, particularly malaria in the 1st trimester, was significantly associated with a higher risk of infant’s febrile infection (aOR = 4.99 [1.1; 22.6], p = 0.03). In secondary results, pre-pregnancy malaria and schistosomiasis were significantly associated with a lower infant’s Hb concentration during the first 3 months. Conclusion We evidenced the deleterious effect of maternal parasitic infections on infant’s health. Our results argue in favor of the implementation of preventive strategies as early as in the peri-conception.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere0222864
Pages (from-to)1-13
Number of pages13
JournalPLoS ONE
Volume14
Issue number9
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 19 Sept 2019

Funding

Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale (FRM, grant number ECO20160736054) for PhD scholarship. The French Agence Nationale de la Recherche [ANR-13-JSV1-0004, grant 2013] and the Fondation Simone Beer under the auspices of the Fondation de France [00074147, grant 2017] funded RECIPAL project. bioMérieux funded SEPSIS project. NO - The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. SE, JYM and LV contributed to data collection in the framework of SEPSIS project and to the final revision of the manuscript in their own names and not on behalf of their employer.

FundersFunder number
Fondation Simone Beer
Agence Nationale de la RechercheANR-13-JSV1-0004
Fondation pour la Recherche MédicaleECO20160736054
Fondation de France00074147

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