title: Congenital Trypanosoma cruzi infection. Efficacy of its monitoring in an urban reference health center in a non-endemic area of Argentina.
abstract: Congenital transmission (CT) has acquired relevance in Chagas disease (CHD). A cohort of pregnant CHD women (4,355) and their babies were studied in the period 1994-2004. Children were excluded when they had received blood transfusions, or were born or had been in endemic areas; CT rate was 6.1%. Babies were diagnosed between months 1 and 5 in 68.9% of the cases and between months 6 and 12 in 31.1%. In the latter group, parasitemia was detected in 94% and serology in 74.7%. Between months 6 and 9, parasitemia diagnosed 36.2% (P = 0.000) more cases than serology. If serology had been the diagnosis method, those children would have been considered CT free. Taking the overall outcomes, 38.1% of babies were CT free, and 55.8% did not complete the follow-up. Establishing CT as a public health priority and improving first-line health service, congenital CHD coverage could be more efficient in endemic countries.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Nacional de Parasitología Dr. Mario Fatala Chaben, ANLIS Dr. Carlos G Malbran, Buenos Aires, Argentina. amderissio@yahoo.com.ar
authors.forename: Ana María
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: De Rissio
authors.forename: Adelina Rosa
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Riarte
authors.forename: Miriam Martín
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: García
authors.forename: Mónica Inés
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Esteva
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Quaglino
authors.forename: Andrés Mariano
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Ruiz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood; D001118:Argentina / Q000453:epidemiology; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000151:congenital* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011247:Pregnancy; D015597:Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000276:immunology; D014505:Urban Population
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan