Cord Malaria Infection, Complement Activation, Oxidative Stress, Gestational Age, and Birth Weight, Characterized by High Prevalence in Bamenda, Cameroon.

Background: It is unknown whether the presence of malaria parasites in umbilical cord blood denotes activation of complement and oxidative stress to affect the duration of pregnancy and birth weight.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study conducted from January to April 2019 in Bamenda, Cameroon, cord blood samples were collected from 300 women at delivery. Parasitaemia was determined microscopically.