title: Vertical transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi infection: quantification of parasite burden in mothers and their children by parasite DNA amplification.
abstract: The relationship between parasite burden and vertical transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi was studied in pairs of chronically infected women and their children in a non-endemic area. Parasitemia was quantified by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in the peripheral blood amplifying a nuclear T. cruzi DNA and expressed as equivalent amounts of CL Brener parasites DNA per ml (eP/ml). Similar levels of parasitemia were found in non-transmitting pregnant women and in non-pregnant women: 1.8 ± 0.5 and 1.5 ± 0.7 eP/ml, respectively. In women pregnant with infected children parasitemia was 11.0 ± 2.7 eP/ml (n=20). In 12 of their neonates the infection was detected by microscopic observation of the parasites in peripheral blood in the 1(st) month of age. These children had variable levels of parasitemia (13,000 ± 7000 eP/ml), that were about 600-fold higher than that found in their mothers. To our knowledge, this is the first quantitative evaluation of parasitemia in these three groups of women and in their congenitally infected children. These parasite quantifications could be a basis to plan the control of mother-to-child transmission of T. cruzi.
authors: Instituto Nacional de Parasitología Dr M. Fatala Chaben, Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud Dr C.G. Malbrán, Buenos Aires, Argentina. jacbua@yahoo.com
authors: Jacqueline
authors: J
authors: Bua
authors: Bibiana J
authors: BJ
authors: Volta
authors: Elsa B
authors: EB
authors: Velazquez
authors: Andrés M
authors: AM
authors: Ruiz
authors: Ana María De
authors: AM
authors: Rissio
authors: Rita L
authors: RL
authors: Cardoni
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000469:parasitology*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical / Q000517:prevention & control; D008430:Maternal-Child Health Centers; D021141:Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D015597:Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic / Q000097:blood* / Q000517:prevention & control; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan