title: Impact of helminth infection during pregnancy on cognitive and motor functions of one-year-old children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the effect of helminth infection during pregnancy on the cognitive and motor functions of one-year-old children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Six hundred and thirty five singletons born to pregnant women enrolled before 29 weeks of gestation in a trial comparing two intermittent preventive treatments for malaria were assessed for cognitive and motor functions using the Mullen Scales of Early Learning, in the TOVI study, at twelve months of age in the district of Allada in Benin. Stool samples of pregnant women were collected at recruitment, second antenatal care (ANC) visit (at least one month after recruitment) and just before delivery, and were tested for helminths using the Kato-Katz technique. All pregnant women were administered a total of 600 mg of mebendazole (100 mg two times daily for 3 days) to be taken after the first ANC visit. The intake was not directly observed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Prevalence of helminth infection was 11.5%, 7.5% and 3.0% at first ANC visit, second ANC visit and at delivery, respectively. Children of mothers who were infected with hookworms at the first ANC visit had 4.9 (95% CI: 1.3-8.6) lower mean gross motor scores compared to those whose mothers were not infected with hookworms at the first ANC visit, in the adjusted model. Helminth infection at least once during pregnancy was associated with infant cognitive and gross motor functions after adjusting for maternal education, gravidity, child sex, family possessions, and quality of the home stimulation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Helminth infection during pregnancy is associated with poor cognitive and gross motor outcomes in infants. Measures to prevent helminth infection during pregnancy should be reinforced.
authors.affiliation: Université Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC- Paris VI), Paris, France; Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Santé Publique, Département d'Épidémiologie et des Biostatistiques, Rennes, France; Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Mère et Enfant face aux Infections Tropicales, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Michael O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Mireku
authors.affiliation: Michigan State University, Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology/Ophthalmology, East Lansing, Michigan, United States of America.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Boivin
authors.affiliation: Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health and the College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, United States of America.
authors.forename: Leslie L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Davidson
authors.affiliation: Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Mère et Enfant face aux Infections Tropicales, Paris, France; Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Yalgado Ouédraogo, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
authors.forename: Smaïla
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ouédraogo
authors.affiliation: Union Internationale Contre la Tuberculose et les Maladies Respiratoires, Département Tuberculose et VIH, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Ghislain K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Koura
authors.affiliation: Hôpital de la Mère et de l'Enfant Lagune de Cotonou, Service de Pédiatrie, Cotonou, Bénin.
authors.forename: Maroufou J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Alao
authors.affiliation: Université d'Abomey-Calavi, Faculté des Sciences de la Santé, Cotonou, Bénin.
authors.forename: Achille
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Massougbodji
authors.affiliation: Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Mère et Enfant face aux Infections Tropicales, Paris, France; PRES Sorbonne Paris Cité, Université Paris Descartes, Faculté des Sciences Pharmaceutiques et Biologiques, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cot
authors.affiliation: Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Santé Publique, Département d'Épidémiologie et des Biostatistiques, Rennes, France; Inserm UMR 1153, Obstetrical, Perinatal and Pediatric Epidemiology Research Team (Epopé), Center for Epidemiology and Statistics Sorbonne Paris Cité, DHU Risks in Pregnancy, Paris Descartes University, Paris, France; New York University Medical Center, Division of Parasitology, Department of Microbiology, New York, New York, United States of America.
authors.forename: Florence
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bodeau-Livinec
mesh_terms: D003071:Cognition; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006373:Helminthiasis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008288:Malaria / Q000523:psychology; D009043:Motor Activity; D011247:Pregnancy; D015597:Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D011295:Prenatal Care; D011446:Prospective Studies