The influence of malaria and gestation on the immune response to one and two doses of adsorbed tetanus toxoid in pregnancy.

The effect of Plasmodium falciparum infection on the response to immunization with tetanus toxoid in pregnancy is of importance because malaria is more frequent and severe in pregnant women. This paper presents the results of a study in west Kenya of the antibody response to an adsorbed tetanus toxoid in primigravidae and multigravidae living under holoendemic conditions. There was no apparent influence of either P. falciparum infection or gestational age on the immune response to one and two doses of adsorbed toxoid. The antibody response in pregnant women with and without malaria was comparable to that in non-pregnant healthy adults. Previous studies of responses to primary immunization schedules in pregnant and non-pregnant women are reviewed.