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Most Brazilian mothers who transmit syphilis to children have access to care
Research published in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases showed that in more than 90% of cases of mother-to-child transmission of syphilis in Brazil, mothers had access to prenatal care.
“This can be explained by the absence of treatment in the sexual partners of those women,” study researcher Marcus Vinicius Pimenta Rodrigues, PhD, coordinator of graduate courses in biomedicine and aesthetic biomedicine at the Universidade do Oeste Paulista in Brazil, told Infectious Diseases in Children. Rodrigues said the findings could be applicable to other countries like the United States, where rates of congenital syphilis have continued to rise, but he stressed that “it is important to consider the epidemiological context and how notifications are reported in each area.”
The researchers examined cases of gestational syphilis and mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of syphilis reported in a national database between 2007 and 2013 in 32 cities in the Pontal do Paranapanema region of São Paulo state.
Rodrigues and colleagues identified 14,849 cases of gestational syphilis and 8,365 cases of MTCT in the state during the study period. In the region they studied, 80 cases of gestational syphilis were reported in 14 of the 32 cities, and 61 cases of MTCT were reported in 15 of the 32 cities.
The researchers noted that the highest incidence rate of gestational syphilis occurred in 2011. Incidence rates of gestational syphilis and MTCT of syphilis were correlated during the months they analyzed (P = .002).
Rodrigues and colleagues also observed a seasonal peak in incidence, with the highest number of gestational syphilis and MTCT syphilis cases occurring in the summer between November and February, and the lowest number of cases occurring between March and October.
Rodrigues said that understanding a country’s seasonal pattern of notifications of new syphilis cases can be an important tool for preventing and controlling the spread of infection.
Among all mothers who transmitted syphilis to their children, 90% had access to prenatal care, whereas only 54% of infants diagnosed with gestational syphilis were diagnosed during the prenatal period.
“The study revealed that although mothers received prenatal care, cases of gestational syphilis were not reduced,” Rodrigues said. “This can be explained by the absence of treatment of the mother’s sexual partners. Another important findings is that in the region analyzed, there are more cases of MTCT syphilis than gestational syphilis, suggesting that the current process of notification and care of these pregnant women needs to be improved.” – by Katherine Bortz
Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.
