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Malaria and Intestinal Helminth Co-infection Among Pregnant Women in Ghana: Prevalence and Risk Factors

Both malaria and intestinal helminths are endemic in sub-Saharan Africa, and their co-infection occurs commonly. This cross-sectional study assessed the prevalence of malaria and intestinal helminth co-infection in a sample of > 700 pregnant women in Ghana and identified risk factors for co-infection. The prevalence of malaria infection, intestinal helminth infection(s), and co-infection was 36.3%, 25.7%, and 16.6%, respectively. Women with intestinal helminth infection(s) were 4.8 times more likely to have malaria infection. Young age, low income, being single, and being primigravid were each associated with increased odds of co-infection. These associations were present when assessed separately for primi- and multigravid women, but the strength of associations varied considerably for the two groups of women. Young age had the strongest association among both primigravid (odds ratio = 5.2) and multigravid (odds ratio = 3.2) women. This study shows relatively high prevalence rates of malaria, intestinal helminths, and co-infection in pregnant women in Ghana.

Received June 9, 2008. Accepted for publication February 5, 2009.

Acknowledgments: The authors thank Joshua Dugbartey for help with data collection and Ezra Mereng, Janet Kibet, and Dan Bunei for help with data entry. The authors thank Lincoln Gankpala for assistance with processing of samples, plasma preparation, and shipping and Dr. Curtis Jolly for helping with collecting and sorting of samples. We also thank the staff at the labor wards of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and Manhyia Polyclinic and laboratory technicians for assisting in many ways to realize this work. Special thanks go to all the pregnant women who participated in this study. The authors thank Dr. Thomas Kruppa, Professor Ohene Adjei, and other laboratory personnel at the KCCR (KNUST) for use of their laboratory facilities.

Financial support: This research was supported by USAID Grant LAG-G-00-96-90013-00 for the Peanut Collaborative Support Research Program and the UAB Framework Program for Global Health, Grant R25TW007501, Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health.

^* Address correspondence to Pauline E. Jolly, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1665 University Boulevard, RPHB 217, Birmingham, AL 35294-0022. E-mail: jollyp{at}uab.edu

Authors’ addresses: Nelly J. Yatich, Jiang Yi, Pauline E. Jolly, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), 1665 University Boulevard, RPHB 217, Birmingham, AL 35294. Tsiri Agbenyega, School of Medical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. Archer Turpin, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana. Julian C. Rayner, Division of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), 845 19th Street South, BBRB 220, Birmingham, AL 35294. Jonathan K. Stiles, Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Immunology, Morehouse School of Medicine, 720 Westview Drive SW, Atlanta, GA 30310. William O. Ellis, Department of Biochemistry, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. Ellen Funkhouser, Division of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), 1717 11th Avenue S, MT 611, Birmingham, AL 35294. John E. Ehiri, Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), 1665 University Boulevard, RPHB 302, Birmingham, AL 35294. Jonathan H. Williams, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of Georgia, 1109 Experiment Street, Stuckey Building, Rm. 148, Griffin, GA 30223.

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				N. J. Yatich, P. E. Jolly, E. Funkhouser, T. Agbenyega, J. C. Rayner, J. E. Ehiri, A. Turpin, J. K. Stiles, W. O. Ellis, Y. Jiang, et al. The Effect of Malaria and Intestinal Helminth Coinfection on Birth Outcomes in Kumasi, Ghana Am J Trop Med Hyg, January 1, 2010; 82(1): 28 - 34. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]