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Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of HIV-1 and placental malaria co-infection on newborn biometry and Apgar scores., Methods: 146 HIV-1 infected and 149 HIV-1 uninfected consent mothers and their newborns were recruited. Placental biopsies examination confirmed the presence or absence of placental malaria. Birth weight (BW), placental weight, cranial circumference, brachial perimeter, height, Body Mass Index (BMI) and Apgar scores at 1', 5', 10' were taken. The Chi(2) test and t-Student test were used for data statistical analysis., Results: The global placental malarial infection prevalence was 72% but was 91% in HIV-1 infected vs. 53.7% in HIV-1 uninfected mothers (p<0.0001). The mean BW of HIV-1 co-infected mother's newborns was slightly inferior to that of HIV-1 uninfected mother's babies (3,033±524g vs. 3,236±565g) but this difference was not statistically significant (p>0.05). No other significant biometric differences were noted (p>0.05). But, the co-infection influenced negatively Apgar scores at 5' (p<0.05)., Conclusion: HIV-1 co-infected mothers were more frequently exposed to placental malaria infection. The co-infection reduced the Apgar scores taken at the fifth minute., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To determine the prevalence of anemia and associated factors (malaria and intestinal helminthiasis) in high risk groups of Lubumbashi, Congo, particularly in pregnant and breast-feeding women and children aged 1-2 years., Material and Methods: From March to May 2002, 632 pregnant women, 570 breast-feeding women, and 570 infants (1-2 years) were examined in three medical centers in Lubumbashi, Congo. Some of the subjects lived in deprived semi-urban areas (Bongonga and Sendwe), others in urban areas with a satisfactory socio-economic situation (University Clinic)., Results: Overall frequency of anemia was estimated between 50 and 80% in the study populations. The proportion of anemic cases was clearly higher in the Sendwe and Bongonga populations (70-80%) than in the other urban populations (50%) (P<0.01). For the three categories of examined subjects, anemia was found to be most prevalent among pregnant women (P<0.05). Anemia was found to be associated with malaria in 40% of the patients and with intestinal parasitism (ascaris / ankylostoma) in 9%., Conclusion: Considering these results, systematic screening and treatment of anemia and associated factors such as malaria and intestinal helminthiasis is needed for the Lubumbashi population.