The report by Sunyer et al 1 of an association between malaria parasites in umbilical cord blood and wheezing at 4 years of age is of considerable interest. Their interpretation of these findings is related to an association with unspecified intrauterine events. A further explanation is that babies with cord parasitaemia were more likely to be born preterm. The importance of preterm delivery in predisposing to recurrent cough and wheeze in children (5–11 years) living in a non-malarious area has been reported, and premature babies of asthmatic mothers were …