title: [Prevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi infection and vertical transmission in Latin-American pregnant women in a health area of Biscay].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To 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).
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive 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.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A 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%
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  On 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.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital de Cruces, Baracaldo, Vizcaya, Spain. oliveria24@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Olatz
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Avila Arzanegui
authors.forename: Paloma
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Liendo Arenaza
authors.forename: Lorea
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Martinez Indart
authors.forename: Txanton
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Martinez Astorkiza
authors.forename: Maria Itziar
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Pocheville Guruceta
authors.forename: Maria Victoria
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Egurbide Arberas
mesh_terms: D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous / Q000208:ethnology; D000328:Adult; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood; D001803:Blood Transfusion / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000151:congenital / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000635:transmission; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D007843:Latin America / Q000208:ethnology; D010298:Parity; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000208:ethnology*; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D016054:DNA, Protozoan