Establishment of haematological and immunological reference values for healthy Tanzanian children in Kilimanjaro Region.

Objective: To determine the normal haematological and immunological reference intervals for healthy Tanzanian children.

Methods: We analysed data from 655 HIV-seronegative, healthy children from 1 month to 18 years of age from the Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania for this cross-sectional study. Median and 95% reference ranges were determined for haematological and immunological parameters and analysed by age cohorts, and by gender for adolescents.

Human immunodeficiency virus co-infection increases placental parasite density and transplacental malaria transmission in Western Kenya.

Plasmodium falciparum malaria and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 adversely interact in the context of pregnancy, however little is known regarding the influence of co-infection on the risk of congenital malaria. We aimed to determine the prevalence of placental and congenital malaria and impact of HIV co-infection on trans-placental malaria transmission in 157 parturient women and their infants by microscopy and by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in western Kenya. The prevalence of placental and cord blood infections were 17.

Elevated gamma interferon-producing NK cells, CD45RO memory-like T cells, and CD4 T cells are associated with protection against malaria infection in pregnancy.

Previous studies have shown that gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) production in the placenta is associated with protection against placental malaria. However, it remains unknown which IFN-gamma-producing cell subpopulations are involved in this protection and whether the cellular immune components of protection are the same in the peripheral and the placental blood compartments. We investigated cell subpopulations for CD4, CD8, and CD45RO memory-like T cells and CD56+/CD3- natural killer (NK) cells and for IFN-gamma production by these cells in maternal peripheral and placental intervillous blood in relation to the status of malaria infection in pregnancy.