Prevalencia de la infección por Trypanosoma cruzi y transmisión vertical en mujeres gestantes latinoamericanas en un área de salud de Vizcaya

Abstract

ObjectivesTo estimate the prevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi infection, the epidemiological factors associated with it, and the risk of maternal-foetal transmission in pregnant women from endemic areas seen in the catchment area of Cruces Hospital (Basque Country, Spain). MethodsDescriptive study. Diagnosis of T. cruzi infection in pregnant women and neonates by performing serological tests and parasitological diagnosis using PCR. Epidemiological survey and multivariate analysis to identify the risk factors associated with T. cruzi infection. ResultsA total of 158 women participated in the study between December 2008 and January 2010, with mean age of 28.5 (±5.3). Nineteen (12%) pregnant mothers were seropositive, of whom 16 (84.2%) came from Bolivia, with a prevalence, in this group, of 22.2%. Independent epidemiological risk factors associated with T. cruzi infection were a history of living in mud houses (OR: 4.62; 95%IC: 1.54-13.87; P=.006) and knowledge of the vector (OR: 9.07; 95%IC: 1.91-43.11; P=.006). There was one newborn infected, which assumed a congenital transmission rate of 5.8% ConclusionsOn the basis of the high prevalence of T. cruzi infection detected in Latin-American pregnant women and the risk of vertical transmission, a screening program would be recommended, which would be fundamentally based on the identification of geographic origin and epidemiological variables.