Laura Murcia1,2, Marina Simón3, Bartolomé Carrilero3, Mercedes Roig3, Manuel Segovia1,2. 1. Unidad Regional de Medicina Tropical, Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca, El Palmar, and. 2. Departamento de Genética y Microbiología, Universidad de Murcia, Espinardo Murcia, Spain. 3. Unidad Regional de Medicina Tropical, Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca,El Palmar, and.
Abstract
Background: We evaluated the effectiveness of treating women of childbearing age with benznidazole to prevent congenital Chagas disease (CCD), as well as the usefulness of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as a tool to predict the risk of transmission. Methods: Prospective study involving 144 T. cruzi seropositive pregnant women. The parasitological status was studied by PCR in 159 pregnancies, 38 of which involved a cohort of previously treated mothers. One hundred sixty children were examined by PCR and serologically studied at 0-6, 9 and 12 months and annually after treatment. Results: PCR was seen to be useful for predicting the risk of congenital transmission: 18.8% of mothers with a positive PCR result transmitted the infection (16 infected children out of 85 pregnancies). No infected infants were detected among 74 pregnancies when PCR was negative. Of the treated mothers, 92.1% had negative PCR results, compared with 32.2% of untreated mothers. No infected infants were detected from previously treated mothers, compared with 13.2% among untreated mothers (P = .019; χ2). All infants treated before the first year of life were cured. Conclusions: Treating infected women of childbearing age prevents congenital Chagas disease. Polymerase chain reaction screening of T. cruzi-infected pregnant women is a useful tool for predicting the risk of congenital transmission.
Background: We evaluated the effectiveness of treating women of childbearing age with benznidazole to prevent congenital Chagas disease (CCD), as well as the usefulness of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as a tool to predict the risk of transmission. Methods: Prospective study involving 144 T. cruzi seropositive pregnant women. The parasitological status was studied by PCR in 159 pregnancies, 38 of which involved a cohort of previously treated mothers. One hundred sixty children were examined by PCR and serologically studied at 0-6, 9 and 12 months and annually after treatment. Results: PCR was seen to be useful for predicting the risk of congenital transmission: 18.8% of mothers with a positive PCR result transmitted the infection (16 infected children out of 85 pregnancies). No infected infants were detected among 74 pregnancies when PCR was negative. Of the treated mothers, 92.1% had negative PCR results, compared with 32.2% of untreated mothers. No infected infants were detected from previously treated mothers, compared with 13.2% among untreated mothers (P = .019; χ2). All infants treated before the first year of life were cured. Conclusions: Treating infected women of childbearing age prevents congenital Chagas disease. Polymerase chain reaction screening of T. cruzi-infected pregnant women is a useful tool for predicting the risk of congenital transmission.
Authors: Cristina Vázquez; Elisa García-Vázquez; Bartolomé Carrilero; Marina Simón; Fuensanta Franco; Maria A Iborra; Luis J Gil-Gallardo; Manuel Segovia Journal: Am J Trop Med Hyg Date: 2020-05 Impact factor: 2.345
Authors: Laura Francisco-González; Alba Rubio-San-Simón; María Isabel González-Tomé; Ángela Manzanares; Cristina Epalza; María Del Mar Santos; Teresa Gastañaga; Paloma Merino; José Tomás Ramos-Amador Journal: PLoS One Date: 2019-07-10 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: Sarah M Bartsch; Owen J Stokes-Cawley; Pierre Buekens; Lindsey Asti; Maria Elena Bottazzi; Ulrich Strych; Patrick T Wedlock; Elizabeth A Mitgang; Sheba Meymandi; Jorge Abelardo Falcon-Lezama; Peter J Hotez; Bruce Y Lee Journal: Vaccine Date: 2020-03-12 Impact factor: 3.641