Table 1. Maternal factors associated with congenital Trypanosoma cruzi transmission risk.
| Maternal factor | Congenital T. cruzi transmission n/N (%) | Odds ratio | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parasite load (parasites/mL) a | |||
| Low (< 1) | 0/50 (0) | 0.00 | |
| Moderate (1–34) | 4/38 (10.5) | 0.26 | |
| High (>35) | 9/29 (31.0) | 1.0 | <0.0001 |
| Age (years) | |||
| 13–19 | 2/15 (13.3) | 1.23 | |
| 20–29 | 7/55 (12.7) | 1.17 | |
| 30–46 | 6/54 (11.1) | 1.0 | 0.92 |
| Type of birth | |||
| Twin | 3/7 (42.9) | 7.3 | |
| Singleton | 12/117 (10.3) | 1.0 | 0.03 |
| Lived in infested house | |||
| Never | 9/56 (16.1) | 1.95 | |
| Ever | 6/67 (9.0) | 1.0 | 0.28 |
| Lives in infested house now | |||
| No | 14/104 (13.5) | 2.96 | |
| Yes | 1/20 (5.0) | 1.0 | 0.46 |
| Years of living in infested house | |||
| 20 or more | 0/22 (0) | 0.00 | |
| 1–19 | 6/45 (13.3) | 0.80 | |
| None | 9/56 (16.1) | 1.0 | 0.049 |
The limit of detection for the quantitative PCR assay was 1 parasite/mL. Parasite load values below this cutoff were assumed to be 0 for the purpose of analysis.
aqPCR data were missing for 2 women who transmitted and 6 women who did not transmit to their infants. Four mother-infant pairs with ambiguous transmission status are excluded (see text).