Preterm Birth and Malaria Susceptibility in Offspring of Uninfected Multigravid Women

Is preterm birth associated with an increased hazard of malaria infection during early childhood?In this cohort study of 1679 children, preterm (vs full-term) birth was associated with a higher hazard of first malaria infection in offspring of multigravid and secundigravid women who were not infected during pregnancy. Preterm (vs full-term) delivery was also associated with a higher incidence rate of parasitemia in offspring of multigravid women without infection.These findings suggest that children born preterm have a higher risk of malaria infection, despite having healthy mothers with acquired malaria immunity.

Corresponding Author: Michal Fried, PhD, Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, 29 Lincoln Dr, Bldg 29B, Bethesda, MD 20892 (michal.fried@nih.gov).

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