Congenital Chagas disease: time to screen pregnant women?

Abstract

Evaluation of: Bua J, Volta BJ, Velazquez EB et al. Vertical transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi infection: quantification of parasite burden in mothers and their children by parasite DNA amplification. Trans. R. Soc. Trop. Med. Hyg. 106(10), 623–628 (2012).

The congenital transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi has gained epidemiological importance because it is partially responsible for the spread of Chagas disease worldwide. The feasibility of a cure when infected children are treated early makes the detection of congenital infection a valuable goal toward the control of the disease. Here, the authors review and discuss the findings of Bua et al., who quantified the parasitemia of infected women and their newborns by quantitative PCR. The authors demonstrate that the maternal parasite burden is directly related to the risk of neonatal infection. This study points out the importance of a quantitative screen for T. cruzi in pregnant women who live in, or have traveled to, endemic areas for improving the diagnosis of infected newborns and providing prompt treatment.

Keywords::

• Chagas disease
• parasite burden
• quantitative PCR
• Trypanosoma cruzi
• vertical transmission

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This work was supported by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Programa Nacional de Pós Doutorado (CAPES/PND Grant 02883/09-0 to RSC), Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The authors declare that no competing interests exist. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.