Prevalence of Antibody to Trypanosoma cruzi in Women Delivering Infants at Parkland Health and Hospital System, Dallas, Texas, USA

Recent increases in the immigration of persons from Latin America into North America, particularly from regions endemic for Chagas disease, suggest the possibility that pregnant women may be latently infected with Trypanosoma cruzi. This study was undertaken to assess the magnitude of seropositivity in parturient women in our institution. Umbilical cord blood was collected from Hispanic surnamed women delivering infants at Parkland Health and Hospital System (PHHS), the public hospital serving Dallas County, Texas, and affiliated with UT Southwestern. When possible the specimens were collected from consecutive deliveries. Serum was tested for antibodies to Trypanosoma cruzi by commercial systems. Two hundred delivering women were tested as described. Of those tested, 4 were found to be positive for T. cruzi antibody (2%). This confirms a potential risk for transplacental transmission of T. cruzi in populations residing outside the traditional endemic zone, such as those seeking medical care at PHHS.