Mother-child transmission of Chagas disease: could coinfection with human immunodeficiency virus increase the risk? Transmissão materno-fetal da doença de Chagas: poderia a co-infecção com vírus da imunodeficiência humana aumentar o risco?

• Published in: Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical
• Main Authors: Pablo Gustavo Scapellato, Edgardo Gabriel Bottaro, María Teresa Rodríguez-Brieschke
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English; Spanish; Portuguese
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT) 2009
• Subjects: Doença de Chagas; Vírus da imunodeficiência humana; Infecção congênita; Trypanosoma cruzi; Chagas disease; Human immunodeficiency virus; Congenital infection; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1590/S0037-86822009000200002; https://doaj.org/article/2e27adc2794f4952941234c4923c67db

A study was conducted on all newborns from mothers with Chagas disease who were attended at Hospital Donación F. Santojanni between January 1, 2001, and August 31, 2007. Each child was investigated for the presence of Trypanosoma cruzi parasitemia through direct examination of blood under the microscope using the buffy coat method on three occasions during the first six months of life. Serological tests were then performed. Ninety-four children born to mothers infected with Trypanosoma cruzi were attended over the study period. Three of these children were born to mothers coinfected with the human immunodeficiency virus. Vertical transmission of Chagas disease was diagnosed in 13 children, in all cases by identifying parasitemia. The overall Chagas disease transmission rate was 13.8% (13/94). It was 100% (3/3) among the children born to mothers with HIV infection and 10.9% (10/91) among children born to mothers without HIV [Difference = 0.89; CI95 = 0.82-0.95; p = 0.0021]. We concluded that coinfection with HIV could increase the risk of vertical transmission of Chagas disease. Foi realizado um estudo com todos os recém nascidos de mães chagásicas atendidas no Hospital Donación F. Santojanni, no período de1 de janeiro de 2001 a 31 de agosto de 2007. Cada criança foi submetida a pesquisa de parasitemia por Trypanosoma cruzi através do exame microscópico direto do sangue pelo método buffy coat, em três oportunidades, nos primeiros seis meses de vida. Após, foram realizados exames sorológicos. Foram avaliadas 94 crianças nascidas de mães infectadas com Trypanosoma cruzi durante o período do estudo. Três destas crianças eram filhas de mães co-infectadas pelo vírus da imunodeficiência humana. A transmissão vertical de doença de Chagas foi diagnosticada em 13 crianças, todos os casos por identificação de parasitemia. A taxa de transmissão global de doença de Chagas foi de 13,8% (13/94); 100% (3/3) entre os recém nascidos de mães infectadas com HIV e de 10,9% (10/91) entre as crianças nascidas de mães sem HIV ...