The transplacental transport of Plasmodium falciparum in non-febrile parturient women in a holoendemic region; [Note sur le passage transplacentaire de Plasmodium falciparum chez des parturientes non fébriles en région holoendémique.]

Plasmodium falciparum parasitaemia measure, placenta print on microscope slide, immunofluorescence titration of Plasmodium antibodies and electrophoresis of haemoglobin were performed in 53 mothers and their child who did not shown any clinical signs of malaria. 51% from the mothers presented a patent parasitaemia associated with a high density of schizonts on uterine villi surface. Parasite density in children's blood was low and there was no correlation between mother's parasitaemia or placental schizogonia and newborn children's parasitaemia. We observed a higher prevalence of malaria attack, although the difference was not significant, in sickle cell women than in women whose haemoglobin was normal. In sickle cell women schizogonia occurred in placenta as in women whose haemoglobin was normal.