Brettania L. Walker, MPH, World Wildlife Fund International Arctic Programme, Kristian Augusts gate 7A, Postboks 6784 St Olavs plass, Oslo, 0130, Norway, 47 93 41 16 63, bwalker@wwf.no, Rebecca T. Parkin, PhD, MPH, Environmental and Occupational Health, The George Washington University Medical Center, 2100 M Street, NW, Suite 203, Washington, DC 20052, and Carolina Ferrao Huibers Vitor, Servico Municipal de Vigilancia Epidemiologica, Secretaria Municipal de Saude, Rua Gomes Barbosa, 53, Vicosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the effects of maternal intestinal parasitic infection during pregnancy on maternal and fetal nutrition and fetal growth and development. OBJECTIVE: To determine if maternal parasitic infection is associated with infant low birth weight and preterm birth in a municipality of Minas Gerais, Brazil. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Intestinal parasitic exam records of 701 pregnant women were retrospectively examined for the years 1998-2003. Women submitted a single stool sample during pregnancy for testing by the spontaneous sedimentation method of Lutz/HPJ. Maternal parasite records were linked to an infant birth outcome dataset for 529 women. Risk factors for infant low birth weight and preterm births were analyzed using Fisher’s exact test and logistic regression. The General Linear Model (GLM) method was used to compare mean infant birth weight among parasitic infection groups. Record review and data analysis took place during the years 2003-2004. RESULTS: 38.9% of the women were infected with at least one parasite. Mean infant birth weight for mothers with helminth infection was significantly lower than that of un-infected mothers. Ascaris lumbricoides infection was associated with increased preterm birth. Protozoal infection and infection with the protozoan Entamoeba coli were protective for low birth weight and preterm birth. Significant associations were also found between infant low birth weight and maternal education, maternal occupation, infant race, and weeks of gestation. Preterm birth was significantly associated with number of prenatal consultations, infant race, maternal marital status, maternal education, and maternal occupation. Additional results will be presented.

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