Original Research Article
Year: 2021 | Month: March | Volume: 11 | Issue: 3 | Pages: 190-197
Titer: TNFα, a Peripheral Marker of a Placental Plasmodium Infection
Bolanga Ruphin Bertrand1, Ndinga Herman Ghislain2, Miguel Landry Martial3, Mokondjimobe Etienne4, Moukassa Donatien5, Abena Antoine Ange6
1National Laboratoire of Public Health, Marien Ngouabi University, R. of Congo.
2Talangai Base Reference Hospital, Marien Ngouabi University, R. of Congo.
3Marien Ngouabi University, R. of Congo.
4National Laboratoire of Public Health, Marien NGOUABI University, R. of Congo.
5General Hospital Edith Lucie BONGO ONDIMBA, Marien NGOUABI University, R. of Congo.
6Denis Sassou Nguesso University, Marien Ngouabi University, R. of Congo.
Corresponding Author: Bolanga Ruphin Bertrand
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Pregnancy-associated malaria (PAM) remains a public health problem. These consequences result from the placental inflammation responsible for the disruption of maternal-fetal exchanges causing fetal distress, weight loss and spontaneous miscarriages hence the importance of the laboratory diagnosis of placental malaria during the prenatal consultation. It is in this context that this study was carried out and aimed to establish the profile of the concentrations of TNFα in correlation with the PAM.
Material and methods: This was a cross-sectional and analytical study carried out in the maternity ward of the Talangai referral hospital (R. of Congo). Thick gout, placental appositions and TNFα assay were performed with peripheral blood, placenta and cord blood.
Results: The incidence of plasmodium in peripheral blood, placenta and umbilical cord was 36.54%, 23% and 7.84%, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in the distribution of peripheral blood, placenta and cord parasitaemia. TNFα of the placenta was significantly higher than peripheral TNFα. Peripheral blood TNFα correlated with peripheral parasitaemia and placental TNFα concentration.
Conclusion: The peripheral, placental and cord malaria index of pregnancy-associated malaria in our study remains of concern, especially since the study population was from an urban setting. TNFα concentrations have shown interesting patterns and correlations that may be predictive of placental infection.
Key words: malaria, placenta, cytokines, incidence, diagnosis.