Prenatal diagnosis of congenital Chagas' disease (American trypanosomiasis) |
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| Authors: | Maria Okumura Vera Aparecida dos Santos Mário E Camargo Regina Schultz Marcelo Zugaib |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Obstetrics, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil;2. Division of Clinical Pathology, Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil;3. Institute of Tropical Medicine, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil;4. Division of Pathology, Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil |
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| Abstract: | The prenatal diagnosis of congenital transmission of Chagas' disease in a pregnant woman with the indeterminate form of the disease is reported. Sonography revealed fetal hydrops at 31 weeks' gestation. Anti-Trypanosoma cruzi IgM and IgG antibodies were negative in the fetal blood sampled by cordocentesis, but T. cruzi trypomastigotes were found in its buffy coat. Owing to anemia, in utero exchange transfusion was undertaken, but fetal demise ensued. Labor was induced and a stillborn infant weighing 2030 g was delivered. The pathological examination revealed placentitis and meningoencephalitis, myocarditis and splenitis in the stillborn fetus. Amastigotes were found in the myocardium, brain and placenta. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
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| Keywords: | prenatal diagnosis Chagas' disease congenital transmission Trypanosoma cruzi fetal hydrops |
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