ArticleScientific reports2017
Increased risk of low birth weight in women with placental malaria associated with P. falciparum VAR2CSA clade.
Article in Scientific reports, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 36 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prevalence, predictors and adverse perinatal outcomes of placental malaria in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2025Pooled it
- Placental malaria and adverse pregnancy outcomes in Majang Zone of Gambella Region, Southwest Ethiopia: a histopathological and molecular study.Malaria journal · 2024Article
- Structure-guided design of VAR2CSA-based immunogens and a cocktail strategy for a placental malaria vaccine.PLoS pathogens · 2024Article
- PfEMP1 and var genes - Still of key importance in Plasmodium falciparum malaria pathogenesis and immunity.Advances in parasitology · 2024Review
- Polymorphic Molecular Signatures in Variable Regions of thePathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Biomass fuel use and birth weight among term births in Nigeria.PLOS global public health · 2022Article
- Article
- Structural basis for placental malaria mediated by Plasmodium falciparum VAR2CSA.Nature microbiology · 2021Article
- Poor Birth Outcomes in Malaria in Pregnancy: Recent Insights Into Mechanisms and Prevention Approaches.Frontiers in immunology · 2021Review
- Progress and Insights Toward an Effective Placental Malaria Vaccine.Frontiers in immunology · 2021Review
- Article
- Diagnosis & management of imported malaria in pregnant women in non-endemic countries.The Indian journal of medical research · 2020Review
- VAR2CSA-Mediated Host Defense Evasion ofFrontiers in immunology · 2020Review
- Placental Malaria.Current tropical medicine reports · 2020Review
- Article
- High-resolution micro-epidemiology of parasite spatial and temporal dynamics in a high malaria transmission setting in Kenya.Nature communications · 2019Article
- Detection of low-density Plasmodium falciparum infections using amplicon deep sequencing.Malaria journal · 2019Article
- Progress towards vaccines to protect pregnant women from malaria.EBioMedicine · 2019Article
- Global genetic diversity of var2csa in Plasmodium falciparum with implications for malaria in pregnancy and vaccine development.Scientific reports · 2018Article
- Molecular approaches to determine the multiplicity of Plasmodium infections.Malaria journal · 2018Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
18 authors at 6 institutions in 6 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Pregnancy associated malaria (PAM) causes adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes owing to Plasmodium falciparum accumulation in the placenta. Placental accumulation is mediated by P. falciparum protein VAR2CSA, a leading PAM-specific vaccine target. The extent of its antigen diversity and impact on clinical outcomes remain poorly understood. Through amplicon deep-sequencing placental malaria samples from women in Malawi and Benin, we assessed sequence diversity of VAR2CSA's ID1-DBL2x region, containing putative vaccine targets and estimated associations of specific clades with adverse birth outcomes. Overall, var2csa diversity was high and haplotypes subdivided into five clades, the largest two defined by homology to parasites strains, 3D7 or FCR3. Across both cohorts, compared to women infected with only FCR3-like variants, women infected with only 3D7-like variants delivered infants with lower birthweight (difference: -267.99 g; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: -466.43 g,-69.55 g) and higher odds of low birthweight (<2500 g) (Odds Ratio [OR] 5.41; 95% CI:0.99,29.52) and small-for-gestational-age (OR: 3.65; 95% CI: 1.01,13.38). In two distinct malaria-endemic African settings, parasites harboring 3D7-like variants of VAR2CSA were associated with worse birth outcomes, supporting differential effects of infection with specific parasite strains. The immense diversity coupled with differential clinical effects of this diversity suggest that an effective VAR2CSA-based vaccine may require multivalent activity.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.