Seroprevalence and risk factors of Toxoplasma gondii infection among pregnant women in Sanandaj, west of Iran: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Toxoplasma gondii is considered to be a significant concern because of its zoonotic potential. In Pregnant women with toxoplasmosis, the parasite can be transmitted to the foetus causing severe complications. This study aimed to estimate the seroepidemiology of toxoplasmosis in Pregnant women who had referred to the Health Centers of Sanandaj in 2019. The study populations were women of child-bearing age (pregnant) aged between 15 and 44 years. Blood samples were collected from 146 women visiting six health centers during April to November 2019. Then, the levels of IgG and IgM antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Out of 146 samples, 44 (30.14%) and 4 (2.74%) cases were positive for IgG and IgM, respectively. The highest and lowest IgG antibody were found between the ages of 35-39 (64.28%) and 15-19 years old (7.14%), respectively. There was a significant relationship between the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection and age (P˂ 0.05). Also, our results showed that all women had a history of raw vegetables consumption. No significant relationship was found between rate of toxoplasmosis and washing raw vegetable methods (P≥ 0.05).69.86% of the selected women were seronegative. Preventive measures should be an infection. Our results confirmed that Toxoplasma is a common parasitic infection among pregnant women in Sanandaj. Thus, it is necessary to avoid the risk factors before and during the pregnancy of women via health trainings.

Keywords

• pregnant women
• sanandaj
• sereology
• toxoplasmosis