Epidemiological profile of Trypanosoma cruzi-infected mothers and live birth conditions in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil

• Main Authors: Fabiane Scalabrini Pinto, Gláucia Manzan Queiroz de Andrade, Jose Nelio Januario, Maria Cecília Almeida Maia, Eliane Dias Gontijo
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT) 2013
• Subjects: Trypanosoma cruzi; Newborn screening; Pregnant women; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doaj.org/article/3aa3592537924629ab521d9d8994b337

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to assess the epidemiological characteristics of Trypanosoma cruzi-infected mothers and the live birth conditions of neonates. METHODS: A serological survey with IgG-specific tests was conducted using dried blood samples from newborn infants in the State of Minas Gerais. T. cruzi infection was confirmed in mothers through positive serology in two different tests, and infected mothers were required to have their infants serologically tested after the age of 6 months. The birth conditions of the neonates were obtained from the System of Information on Live Births database. RESULTS: The study included 407 children born to T. cruzi-infected mothers and 407 children born to uninfected mothers. The average age of seropositive mothers was 32 years (CI95% 31.3-32.6), which was greater than the average age of seronegative mothers - 25 years (CI95% 24.8-25.2). The mothers' level of education was higher among uninfected mothers (41% had 8 or more years of education, versus 22% between the infected mothers). Vaginal delivery was more frequent among infected mothers. There was no evidence of inter-group differences with respect to the child's sex, gestational age, birth weight or Appearance, pulse, grimace, activity and respiration (APGAR) scores at 1 and 5 minutes. Conclusions: The level of education and the greater number of previous pregnancies and cases of vaginal delivery reflect the lower socioeconomical conditions of the infected mothers. In the absence of vertical transmission, neonates had similar health status irrespective of the infection status of their mothers.