Emerging Infectious Diseases in Pregnant Women in a Non-Endemic Area: Almost One Out of Four Is at Risk

• Main Authors: Giulia Modi, Beatrice Borchi, Susanna Giaché, Irene Campolmi, Michele Trotta, Mariarosaria Di Tommaso, Noemi Strambi, Alessandro Bartoloni, Lorenzo Zammarchi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-01-01
• Series: Pathogens
• Subjects: Chagas disease; HTLV; malaria; schistosomiasis; Zika; pregnancy
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/10/1/56

We report the results of a targeted testing strategy for five emerging infectious diseases (Chagas disease, human T-lymphotropic virus 1 infection, malaria, schistosomiasis, and Zika virus infection) in pregnant women accessing an Italian referral centre for infectious diseases in pregnancy for unrelated reasons. The strategy is based on a quick five-question questionnaire which allows the identification of pregnant women at risk who should be tested for a specific disease. One hundred and three (24%) out of 429 pregnant women evaluated in a 20 month period were at risk for at least one emerging infectious disease. Three (2.9%, all from sub-Saharan Africa) out of 103 at-risk women resulted in being affected (one case of <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i> malaria, two cases of schistosomiasis) and were appropriately managed. Prevalence of emerging infectious disease was particularly high in pregnant women from Africa (three out of 25 pregnant women tested, 12%). The proposed strategy could be used by health care professionals managing pregnant women in non-endemic setting, to identify those at risk for one of the five infection which could benefit for a targeted test and treatment.