T. cruzi seroprevalence in ecuadorian pregnant women
Year: 2015
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: A nationwide survey was conducted to obtain an estimate of Chagas disease prevalence among pregnant women in Ecuador. As part of a national probability sample, 5,420 women seeking care for delivery or miscarriage at 15 healthcare facilities were recruited into the study. A small minority of participants reported knowing about Chagas disease or recognized the vector. A national seroprevalence of 0.1% (95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 0.0–0.2%) was found; cases were concentrated in the coastal region (seroprevalence = 0.2%; 95% CI = 0.0–0.4%). No cases of transmission to neonates were identified in the sample. Seropositive participants were referred to the National Chagas Program for evaluation and\ntreatment. Additional studies are necessary to determine if areas of higher prevalence exist in well-known endemic provinces and guide the development of a national strategy for elimination of mother-to-child transmission of Chagas disease in Ecuador.\nChagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, is spread mainly by hematophagous\ntriatomine vectors, blood transfusion, and congenital transmission.1 It is estimated that 200,000 people are infected with T. cruzi in Ecuador,2 where most provinces located on the Pacific coast as well Loja in the southern highlands have, for many decades, been known to be endemic for Chagas disease and continue to be active transmission foci.3,4 Meanwhile, sylvatic foci were detected in the northern Ecuadorian Amazon region during the 1990s,5 and additional studies have shown that this region is very active for T. cruzi transmission.6–8 However, despite punctual knowledge at the local scale, the global epidemiological situation of Chagas disease in Ecuador remains largely uncharacterized: no country-wide study exists to provide a global estimate of prevalence for T. cruzi infection, many areas remain unstudied, and particularly little is known regarding congenital transmission.\nFive percent of T. cruzi-infected pregnant women transmit Chagas disease to their\noffspring congenitally,9 and over 15,000 such cases are estimated to occur yearly in Latin America.10 Screening of pregnant women in endemic areas for infection with T. cruzi is recommended.11 Furthermore, because of human migration, congenital Chagas
Language: English
Subfield: Epidemiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2227861697