Leishmania DNA in Human Placentas and Perinatal Outcomes in Tabasco, Mexico

A cross-sectional dataset of 53 participants investigating Leishmania DNA prevalence in human placentas and its association with perinatal outcomes. The data includes de-identified maternal clinical and demographic information, newborn anthropometrics, and PCR results from placental and buccal swab samples. The study was conducted in Cunduacán and neighboring municipalities in Tabasco, Mexico, with participants enrolled between April 2018 and April 2020.

Use Cases

• Assessing the association between placental Leishmania infection and small-for-gestational-age status based on birthweight percentile data.
• Modeling risk factors for Leishmania DNA presence in placental tissue based on maternal clinical characteristics like hypertension and gestational diabetes.
• Analyzing the correlation between maternal haematology indicators, such as anaemia, and neonatal outcomes like Apgar scores.
• Investigating potential vertical transmission by comparing PCR results from placental internal/external sites and newborn buccal swabs.

Strengths

• Includes 28 variables per participant, covering maternal characteristics, clinical data, haematology, neonatal outcomes, and PCR results.
• Data is de-identified for 53 participants, with specific minimization steps described to reduce re-identification risk.
• Accompanied by publicly available analysis code for reproducing main statistical analyses, including regression models.

Limitations

• Continuous variables like maternal age, gestational age, and birth weight have been categorized, which may limit certain analytical approaches.
• Geographic identifiers such as municipality and GPS coordinates have been withheld from the shared dataset.
• The dataset has 53 rows; the sample size may limit the statistical power for detecting some associations.

Provenance

Source

Harvard Dataverse, authored by Galindo-Sevilla, Norma.

Collection Method

Cross-sectional study with placental tissue and newborn buccal swab PCR testing, and collection of maternal/neonatal clinical data at delivery.

Time Range

Participants enrolled between April 2018 and April 2020.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-15 15:53:33; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Cunduacán and neighboring municipalities in Tabasco, Mexico.