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Cited by 6Malaria Research and ControlPregnancy and preeclampsia studiesBird parasitology and diseases

Frequency of placental malaria and its associated factors in northwestern Colombia, pooled analysis 2009–2020

Open access
Cardona-Arias, Jaiberth Antonio, Carmona-Fonseca, Jaime·2022·PLOS ONE
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0268949PMC PMC9129008
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Abstract

Knowledge about placental malaria (PM) is insufficient in the world, and incipient in Colombia where studies are few and recent. In this country, PM has been reported by Plasmodium viva x, Plasmodium falciparum, and mixed infection. The objective was to determine the frequency of PM and its associated clinical-epidemiological factors in mothers and neonates in northwestern Colombia, 2009–2020. A Retrospective pooled analysis with 602 placentas captured in five investigations. The diagnosis of PM was made with thick blood smear (TBS) and qPCR. The groups with and without PM were compared using the Chi-square test, Mann-Whitney test, and crude and adjusted prevalence ratios in a log-binomial model. The prevalence of PM was 27.7% with 92% (155/167) of submicroscopic cases; 41.3% by P. vivax, 44,3% by P. falciparum, and 14.4% by mixed infections. In the multivariate adjustment, PM was associated with the diagnosis of congenital malaria, low neonatal weight, gestational malaria, maternal anemia, previous malaria during pregnancy, and age between 25–43 years. This research is the investigation with the largest number of subjects for studying PM in Colombia, in the ecoepidemiological zone that produces more cases of malaria per year, finding a high prevalence of submicroscopic PM that caused serious maternal (anemia) and neonatal (congenital malaria and low neonatal weight) effects. The results show limitations in the timely diagnosis and treatment, given that the epidemiological surveillance program in Colombia is based on thick blood smear, which generates a substantial underestimation of the magnitude of PM, with serious effects and clinical risks. It is urgent to demand that the health authorities adopt measures such as prenatal control visits as soon as the pregnancy begins, monthly implementation of TBS, and active search for infected pregnant women in their homes and workplaces.

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  • A ten-year review conducted by Cardona-Arias and Carmona-Fonseca (2022) in Colombia underscores this observation.

    “A ten-year review conducted by Cardona-Arias and Carmona-Fonseca (2022) in Colombia underscores this observation [175].”

    From Current update on malaria in pregnancy: a systematic review (2025) · cites this paper as Cardona-Arias and Carmona-Fonseca (2022)

    The Introduction describes five investigations conducted in northwestern Colombia between 2009 and 2020, which this paper pooled and analyzed. That supports identifying it as a long-term Colombian study, though the paper calls it a pooled analysis rather than a ten-year review. The citing sentence does not state what “this observation” is, so the claimed agreement cannot be checked against our copy. (LLM, conf=0.76)

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  • A ten-year review conducted by Cardona-Arias and Carmona-Fonseca (2022) in Colombia underscores this observation.

    “A ten-year review conducted by Cardona-Arias and Carmona-Fonseca (2022) in Colombia underscores this observation [175].”

    From Current update on malaria in pregnancy: a systematic review (2025) · cites this paper as [175]

    The Materials and methods sections describe a retrospective pooled analysis in northwestern Colombia of placentas collected from 2009 to 2020. That supports identifying the cited work as a roughly decade-spanning Colombian study, though it is not described as a review. The preceding “observation” is not supplied, so whether the findings underscore it cannot be assessed. (LLM, conf=0.78)

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. [28]Carmona-Fonseca J. La Región “Urabá Antioqueño-Cuencas altas de los ríos Sinú y San Jorge-Bajo Cauca Antioqueño”: “guarida” del paludismo colombiano. Revista Salud de la Universidad Industrial de Santander. Salud 2017; 49(4): 577– 589.

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Authors
Cardona-Arias, J. A., & Carmona-Fonseca, J.
ORCID
Cardona-Arias, Jaiberth Antonio
Venue
PLOS ONE
Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Published
2022-05-24
Volume
17
Issue
5
Pages
e0268949
ISSN
1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0268949
PMC
PMC9129008
OpenAlex
W4285740476
Cited by
5
References
39
Citations by year
2025: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 1
FWCI
1.10
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • PLoS ONE (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Greater South Information System
Funders
  • Colciencias (Project 111 584467512, Project 111 577 757 447)
  • Universidad de Antioquia
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Malaria Research and Control
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Obstetrics and Gynecology › Pregnancy and preeclampsia studies
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Parasitology › Bird parasitology and diseases
Keywords
placental malaria, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium falciparum, mixed malaria infection, submicroscopic malaria infection, congenital malaria, low birth weight, anemia in pregnancy, malaria in pregnancy, northwestern Colombia, prenatal care
MeSH terms
Adult, Colombia, Female, Humans, Infant, Newborn, Infant, Newborn, Diseases, Malaria, Placenta, Plasmodium falciparum, Pregnancy, Retrospective Studies, Thinness, Malaria, Falciparum, Malaria, Vivax, Coinfection

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