Placental Malaria and Perinatal Transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1.

Prevalence of placental malaria in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1–infected and –uninfected women and the effect of placental malaria on genital shedding and perinatal transmission of HIV-1 were examined. Genital samples for HIV-1 DNA RNA were collected during labor. Infants were tested for HIV-1 at 1 day and 6 weeks postpartum. Placental malaria was diagnosed by histopathological examination: 372 placentas of HIV-1–infected women and 277 of HIV-1–uninfected women were processed. A higher prevalence of placental malaria was seen in HIV-1–infected women. No association was found between placental malaria and either maternal virus load, genital HIV-1 DNA, or HIV-1 RNA. Placental malaria did not correlate with in utero or peripartal transmission of HIV-