Pattern of Plasmodium-intestinal helminth co-infection among pregnant women in a high transmission zone of malaria in Nigeria

Objective To investigate the co-infection of malaria and intestinal helminths and its burden among the pregnant women in Kwara State, Nigeria. Methods Blood and faecal samples of pregnant women were randomly examined using blood smear and Kato-Katz techniques, respectively. Micro-haematocrit reader was used to estimate packed cell volume (PCV) while information concerning pregnancy and transmission factors was obtained by questionnaire. Results Out of the 300 pregnant women, 17.3% had at least one parasite infection and the specific rate of co-infection was 73.1%. Co-infection of Plasmodium falciparum and Ascaris lumbricoides decreased with increasing age while the concurrence of Plasmodium falciparum with hookworm increased with increasing age of women. It was observed that helminth infection protected the severity of malaria and aggravated anaemia level. Pregnant women with malaria alone had average parasitaemia of 1 034.9 parasite/μL of blood and PCV of 30.24% while individuals co-infected with hookworms had parasitaemia of 859.67 parasite/μL and PCV of 26.98%. Our findings also indicated that the prevalence of infection in pregnancy varied with gestation periods. The highest prevalence was recorded in pregnant women in their primigravidae and first trimester. Inadequate toilet facilities, illiteracy, occupations, low incomes and proximities of vegetation around the habitation were observed to influence the transmission of multiple parasites. Conclusions Mass drug administration and maintenance of personal and environmental hygiene are essential preventive measures in endemic communities to ward off the debilitating effects of parasites in pregnancy.