Associations of maternal iron deficiency with malaria infection in a cohort of pregnant Papua New Guinean women.

Background: Iron deficiency (ID) is common in malaria-endemic settings. Intermittent preventative treatment of malaria in pregnancy (IPTp) and iron supplementation are core components of antenatal care in endemic regions to prevent adverse pregnancy outcomes. ID has been associated with reduced risk of malaria infection, and correspondingly, iron supplementation with increased risk of malaria infection, in some studies.

The relationship between markers of antenatal iron stores and birth outcomes differs by malaria prevention regimen-a prospective cohort study.

Background: Iron deficiency (ID) has been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, maternal anaemia, and altered susceptibility to infection. In Papua New Guinea (PNG), monthly treatment with sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine plus azithromycin (SPAZ) prevented low birthweight (LBW; <2500 g) through a combination of anti-malarial and non-malarial effects when compared to a single treatment with SP plus chloroquine (SPCQ) at first antenatal visit. We assessed the relationship between ID and adverse birth outcomes in women receiving SPAZ or SPCQ, and the mediating effects of malaria infection and haemoglobin levels during pregnancy.

A sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the quantitation of human plasma ferritin.

There is a lack of published enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) protocols which use commercially available reagents for the measurement of ferritin in human plasma for research purposes. ELISA kits are often expensive and do not always provide detailed information about reagents included. A commercially available antibody pair was used to develop an in-house ELISA to measure ferritin in small (25 μl) volumes of human plasma.