Prolactin and Plasmodium Falciparum Malaria

Pregnant women are more susceptible to plasmodium falciparum malaria than their non-pregnant counterparts. The pathogenesis of malaria during pregnancy is largely unknown. N.K. Bayoumi et al. investigated the roles of cortisol, prolactin, interferon-γ, interleukin-4 and interleukin-10 in pregnant women with plasmodium falciparum malaria. Compared to healthy controls, those subjects had significantly lower serum levels of  prolactin and IFN-γ and higher concentrations of cortisol and IL-10. Bayoumi et al. conclude that prolactin, cortisol and cytokines appear to be key mediators in the host response to P. falciparum infection. Whether these findings are a result of the infection or factors in the aetiology of malaria remains uncertain.

Ann Trop Med Parasitol. 2009;103(2):111-7.