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Infant with congenitally acquired Chagas disease born in US
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A male infant born to a Bolivian woman who had previously been diagnosed with Chagas disease was the first patient reported in the United States with congenital Chagas disease.
CDC researchers reported in a recent Morbidity and Mortality Report that the infant, who was delivered in Virginia by cesarean section in August 2010, was not tested for Trypanosoma cruzi until after his mother told them she was diagnosed previously in Bolivia, which was 2 weeks after giving birth. The infant had undergone a battery of tests in that interim, but the delay for this particular parasite, CDC researchers said, should serve as a reminder to health care providers to keep this disease on their radar.
Although this was the first reported case, there are likely between 65 and 315 congenital transmissions in the United States each year, according to CDC. Researchers said because congenital T. cruzi has no specific clinical signs, and infant newborns are often asymptomatic, many cases are missed each year.
“Increased awareness of Chagas disease is needed among health care providers so that pregnant women who have emigrated from Mexico, Central America and South America, and who may have been at risk for infection with T. cruzi, can be identified and screened serologically,” the researchers wrote.
The boy was treated for 60 days with benznidazole and his symptoms cleared.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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