Abstract
Cytoadherence of Plasmodium-falciparum-parasitized
red blood cells (PRBCs) to host receptors is the key phenomenon in
the pathological process of the malaria disease. Some of these interactions can
originate poor outcomes responsible for 1 to 3 million annual deaths mostly occurring
among children in sub-Saharan Africa. Pregnancy-associated malaria (PAM) represents
an important exception of the disease occurring at adulthood in malaria endemic
settings. Consequences of this are shared between the mother (maternal anemia) and
the baby (low birth weight and infant mortality). Demonstrating that parasites causing
PAM express specific variant surface antigens (