Clinical malaria diagnosis in pregnancy in relation to early perinatal mother‐to‐child transmission of HIV: a prospective cohort study

Abstract

Objectives We prospectively investigated fever symptoms and maternal diagnosis of malaria in pregnancy (MIP) in relation to child HIV infection among 2,368 pregnant HIV-positive women and their infants, followed-up from pregnancy until birth and 6 weeks post-delivery in Tanzania. Methods Doctors clinically diagnosed and treated MIP and fever symptoms during prenatal healthcare. Child HIV status was determined via DNA-PCR. Multivariable logistic regression models estimated relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for HIV mother-to-child-transmission (MTCT) by 6th week of life. Results Mean gestational age at enrollment was 22.2 weeks. During follow-up, 16.6% had ≥1 MIP diagnosis, 15.9% reported fever symptoms and 8.7% had both fever and MIP diagnosis. Eleven percent of HIV-exposed infants were HIV-positive by 6 weeks. The RR of HIV MTCT was statistically similar for infants whose mothers were ever vs. never clinical MIP diagnosed (RR=1.24, 95%CI:0.94–1.64), were diagnosed with 1 vs. 0 clinical MIP episode (RR=1.07;95%CI:0.77–1.48) and had ever vs. never reported fever symptoms (RR=1.04, 95%CI:0.78,1.38) in pregnancy. However, HIV MTCT risk increased by 29% (95%CI:4–58%) per MIP episode. Infants of women with ≥2 vs. 0 MIP diagnoses were 2.1 times more likely to be HIV infected by 6weeks old (95%CI:1.31–3.45). Conclusions Clinical MIP diagnosis, but not fevers, in HIV-positive pregnant women was associated with elevated risk of early HIV MTCT suggesting that malaria prevention and treatment in pregnant HIV-positive women may enhance the effectiveness of HIV prevention in MTCT programs in this setting. Future studies using laboratory confirmed malaria is needed to confirm this association.

Intermittent Preventive Treatment of Malaria in Pregnancy with Mefloquine in HIV-Infected Women Receiving Cotrimoxazole Prophylaxis: A Multicenter Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial

“…An association of presumptive clinical malaria with increased risk of MTCT of HIV has been reported [63]. In the current study, it seemed contradictory that both clinical malaria and MQ were associated with an increased frequency of MTCT of HIV, since MQ was also related with decreased malaria risk.…”