Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene · 1985 · 98 citations · 7 references
Veterinary MedicineInfectious DiseasesPathologyInfectious Disease PathologyParasite EpidemiologyParasitologyChagas DiseaseCongenital InfectionsMedical ParasitologyNeonatal PathologyParasitic PathologyPlacental PathologyCongenital Chagas DiseaseCongenital Parasitic InfectionCongenital TransmissionEpidemiological DiagnosisGestational Age MeasurementHistopathological EvaluationTrypanosoma Cruzi InfectionTrypanosomiasis Pathology
In 329 newborns examined by the method of Strout and/or histopathological sections of the placenta, Trypanosoma cruzi was observed in 25 cases. The serological prevalence of Chagas' disease in mothers was 51%. A greater risk of congenital transmission was observed in newborns ranging between 1,001 and 2,500 g (21%), compared to 2% in newborns weighing more than 2,500 g. Congenital transmission occurred predominantly in newborns with a gestational age of 26 to 37 weeks. Histopathological examination of placentae disclosed T. cruzi in 6.3%. In areas with a high prevalence of Chagas' disease, congenital transmission is a real hazard.
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