| Summary: | Congenital Chagas disease is a growing concern, prioritized by the World Health Organization for public health action. El Salvador is home to some of the highest Chagas disease (<i>Trypanosoma cruzi</i> infection) burdens in the Americas, yet pregnancy screening remains neglected. This pilot investigation performed a maternal <i>T. cruzi</i> surveillance study in Western El Salvador among women presenting for labor and delivery. From 198 consented and enrolled pregnant women, 6% were <i>T. cruzi</i> positive by serology or molecular diagnosis. Half of the infants born to <i>T. cruzi</i>-positive women were admitted to the NICU for neonatal complications. Geospatial statistical clustering of cases was noted in the municipality of Jujutla. Older women and those knowing an infected relative or close friend were significantly more likely to test positive for <i>T. cruzi</i> infection at the time of parturition. In closing, maternal <i>T. cruzi</i> infections were significantly higher than national HIV or syphilis maternal rates, creating an urgent need to add <i>T. cruzi</i> to mandatory pregnancy screening programs.
|
|---|