title: Chagas disease in Latin American pregnant immigrants: experience in a non-endemic country.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Chagas disease is a systemic chronic parasitic infection by Trypanosoma cruzi endemic in Latin America. Migration of women of childbearing age from Latin America to developed countries may spread the disease to non-endemic areas through vertical transmission.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective study of seroprevalence of T. cruzi infection in immigrant Latin American pregnant women during a 5-year period (from 2006 to 2010) in Spain.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seven out of 545 participants were seropositive for T. cruzi [prevalence 1.28%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.06-2.56]. Four (57%) were from Bolivia and three (43.%) from Paraguay. The seroprevalence in pregnant women from Bolivia was 10.26% (95% CI 4.06-23.58) and in participants from Paraguay was 6.52% (95% CI 2.24-17.5). No congenital transmission occurred.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Seroprevalence of T. cruzi infection in Latin American pregnant women coming from Bolivia and Paraguay is high. Those women should be screened for T. cruzi to control mother-to-child transmission in non-endemic areas.
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Unit, Hospital General Universitario de Elche, Elche, Spain. jramosrincon@yahoo.es
authors.forename: José M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Milla
authors.forename: Juan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.forename: Paulo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: López-Chejade
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Flóres
authors.forename: José M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.forename: Félix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007843:Latin America / Q000208:ethnology; D008403:Mass Screening; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi