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. 2023 Jun 1;31(2):243-249.
doi: 10.53854/liim-3102-13. eCollection 2023.

Prevention of congenital Chagas disease by screening of mothers and monitoring of serological tests of neonates: the seven years' experience

Annibale Raglio  1 , Libera Clemente  2 , Davide Guarneri  1 , Marco Arosio  1 , Marzia Maino  3 , Luisa Patanè  4 , Marco Cavallini  1 , Paola Rodari  5 , Giovanna Mangili  3 , Claudio Farina  1
Affiliations

Prevention of congenital Chagas disease by screening of mothers and monitoring of serological tests of neonates: the seven years' experience

Annibale Raglio et al. Infez Med. .

Abstract

Approximately 14000 immigrants coming from the Cochabamba area of Bolivia, with an increased risk of congenital Chagas Disease (CD), are currently living in Bergamo, Italy. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation (2011), prevention of congenital CD involves testing all pregnant women at risk of infection and performing follow-up of their newborns. In our study, all pregnant women of Latin American origin were tested for the presence of Trypanosoma cruzi antibodies and children, born to mothers found to be positive, were followed up after delivery. T. cruzi antibodies were detected using a chemiluminescence immunoassay. The test was also performed on siblings and fathers of children with CD, and women of childbearing age to prevent the congenital infection, as proposed by 2011 WHO recommendation. In the study period 1105 patients were tested for CD, using a serological test: 934 (85%) were females and 171 (15%) were males. Of the 62 newborns, from mothers who tested positive, 28 were females and 34 were males. The number of positive adults and siblings identified was 148 (14%). Among the adults and siblings born between 1991 and 2011 only 3 (2%) of females tested positive to serological test. All neonates, with the exception of one, were classified as non-infected according to the follow-up of index value of CD serology. This study confirms the usefulness of serological tests and of their index value as follow-up. The difference of positivity rate for CD antibodies between people born before and after 1990 should be further investigated to generate information that potentially improve the prevention and control of CD.

Keywords: Chagas disease; Cut Off Index; Trypanosoma cruzi; congenital; serology.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest None

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Number of female patients for date of birth positive or negative for antibodies anti-Trypanosoma cruzi.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Number of male patients for date of birth positive or negative for antibodies anti-Trypanosoma cruzi.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Follow-up for antibodies anti-Trypanosoma cruzi in female neonates.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Follow-up for antibodies anti-Trypanosoma cruzi in male neonates.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Serological follow-up of premature baby, with a suspect of infection.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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