Chagas Disease in Pregnant Women in the Peruvian Amazon Basin. Cross-Sectional Study.

José-Manuel Ramos-Rincón,María-Esteyner Vásquez-Chasnamote,Sonia Ortiz-Martínez,Miguel Górgolas-Hernández-Mora,Olga-Nohelia Gamboa-Paredes,Cesar Ramal-Asayag,Martin Casapía-Morales,Viviana-Vanessa Pinedo-Cancino

doi:10.3389/fvets.2020.00556

Abstract

Aims: To assess the prevalence of Chagas disease in pregnant women in Iquitos City, Peru.Material and Methods: Cross-sectional survey in 300 pregnant women in Iquitos (Peru) from 1 May 2019 to 15 June 2019. Women were tested using an ELISA serology test.Results: Serology was positive in one case (prevalence: 0.33%; 95% confidence interval: 7.1–13.9%), of a 25-year-old woman who lived in a wooden house with a leaf roof in a periurban area of Iquitos. She was familiar with kissing bugs and had chronic, asymptomatic Chagas disease.Conclusion: The prevalence of Chagas disease is low in the urban and peri-urban area of the city of Iquitos.

Highlights

Chagas disease is a systemic chronic parasitic infection caused by Trypanosoma cruzi that affects 6–7 million people in Central and South America
While mainly vector-borne, Chagas disease can be spread via blood transfusion, transplantation, or from mother to child [1]
To accelerate the elimination of this transmission route, strategies and methods should be applied to screen, diagnose, and treat all infected pregnant women as well as their newborns and, where appropriate, other children as soon as possible [2]

Summary

Introduction

Chagas disease is a systemic chronic parasitic infection caused by Trypanosoma cruzi that affects 6–7 million people in Central and South America. It is considered a neglected tropical disease and has a high public health impact in the area. While mainly vector-borne, Chagas disease can be spread via blood transfusion, transplantation, or from mother to child [1]. The latter, congenital route is frequent and especially relevant in areas where there is no vector transmission by insects or blood transfusion. To accelerate the elimination of this transmission route, strategies and methods should be applied to screen, diagnose, and treat all infected pregnant women as well as their newborns and, where appropriate, other children as soon as possible [2].

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Discussion

Conclusion