Do disturbances within the folate pathway contribute to low birth weight in malaria?

The evidence implicating Plasmodium falciparum malaria as a cause of low birth weight and intrauterine growth retardation is overwhelming, especially in women with their first pregnancies, who are more susceptible to falciparum malaria than non-pregnant women or those in subsequent pregnancies. The mechanisms that explain these outcomes are unknown, but are important because malaria during pregnancy causes low birth weight in millions of babies, worldwide. This article examines the evidence for the hypothesis that functional impairment of the folate metabolic pathway associated with P. falciparum infection in pregnancy might contribute to fetal growth retardation.