96SEQUESTRATED PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM PARASITES IN HUMAN INFECTIONS: DIFFERENT GENOTYPE DISTRIBUTION IN PLACENTAL AS COMPARED TO THAT IN THE PERIPHERAL CIRCULATIONIn regions highly endemic for malaria, the prevalence of placental malaria ranges from 30% to 60% and has been associated with increased risk of adverse infant outcomes, particularly in primigravidae. The study was conducted on mothers after delivery to detect hidden Plasmodium falciparum parasite, merozoite surface protein (msp1) by PCR technique.75 pregnant women were enrolled in the study; the mean age of them was 26.30 ± 7.02. 5ml of venous blood were collected from the mothers after delivery. Approximately, 5ml of venous and placental blood were obtained from 75 mothers after delivery, attended to Omdurman Maternity Hospital, which is one of the largest maternity hospitals in the capital Khartoum, the mean age of the mothers was 26.3±7.02.the study was conducted during the period January to May 2009. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral and placental blood samples using modified phenol chloroform technique. The msp-1 allele (MAD20,) and msp-2 allele A1, A2, B1 and B2, plasmodium falciparum primers were used for PCR. The PCR product was analyzed on 1.5% Agarose gel and visualized by gel documentation system after ethidium bromide staining. The results revealed that the overall malaria detection rate in peripheral blood and placental blood using ICT was 10.7%. With the PCR (msp-1 alleles) the detection rate of malaria in peripheral blood was found to be 9.3%, while in placental blood the same technique showed a detection rate of 10.7%. For PCR (msp-2 alleles), the detection rate of malaria in peripheral blood was 12%, while in placental blood the same technique showed detection rate of 21.3% malaria. In the vast majority of cases, some sequestered genotypes remain hidden, undetected in the peripheral circulation, indicating that analysis of peripheral parasites generates a partial picture of a P. falciparum infection. The cord blood must be collected from the umbilical cord to detected placental P. falciparum infection particularly in primigravidaeelaminpara72@yahoo.comResearch522015Plasmodium falciparum parasites,PrimigravidaeElamin Abdelkareem Elamin, Ahmed Bolad,Imad Fadl-ElmulaDepartment of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Al Neelain University, Khartoum, Sudan,Department of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Al Neelain University, Khartoum, Sudan,Department of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Al Neelain University, Khartoum, Sudan