'American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene'
Abstract
Fil: Sosa-Estani, Sergio. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Centro Nacional de Diagnóstico e Investigación en Endemo-Epidemias; Argentina.Fil: Gamboa-León, Miriam Rubi. Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán. Laboratorio de Parasitología; México.Fil: Del Cid-Lemus, Jaime. Intibucá. Región Sanitaria No. 10; Honduras.Fil: Althabe, Fernando. Instituto de Efectividad Clínica y Sanitaria; Argentina.Fil: Alger, Jackeline. Instituto de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Parasitología Antonio Vidal; Honduras.Fil: Almendares, Olivia. Tulane University. School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine; Estados Unidos.Fil: Cafferata, María L. Hospital de Clínicas. Unidad de Investigación Clínica y Epidemiológica Montevideo; Uruguay.Fil: Chippaux, Jean-Philippe. L'Institut de recherche pour le développement (IRD); Bolivia.Fil: Dumonteil, Eric. Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán. Laboratorio de Parasitología; México.Fil: Gibbons, Luz. Instituto de Efectividad Clínica y Sanitaria; Argentina.Fil: Schneider, Dominique. L'Institut de recherche pour le développement (IRD); Bolivia.Fil: Belizán, José M. Instituto de Efectividad Clínica y Sanitaria; Argentina.Fil: Buekens, Pierre. Tulane University. School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine; Estados Unidos.Fil: Padilla-Raygoza, Nicolás. Universidad de Guanajuato; México.Fil: Perinatal Chagas Disease Working Group; Estados Unidos.We conducted a cross-sectional study of Chagas disease in five endemic areas in Argentina, Bolivia, Honduras, and México to estimate the prevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi–specific antibodies in pregnant women, and to assess the use of a rapid test (Chagas Stat-Pak) to screen for T. cruzi infection at the time of delivery. The prevalence of antibodies to T. cruzi measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in maternal blood was 5.5% (a range of 0.8–28.8% among the countries) in 2,495 women enrolled. Compared with ELISA in maternal blood samples, the Chagas Stat-Pak rapid test sensitivity and specificity in umbilical cord blood were 94.6% and 99.0%, respectively. These results show the ability for a rapid determination of the presence of T. cruzi–specific antibodies in umbilical cord blood as a pragmatic strategy to screen for infection in pregnant women