Toxoplasmosis in children of the South Bačka region, Serbia: A new light in the public health perspective

Abstract

In this study the presence of anti-Toxoplasma IgM and IgG antibodies in sera of 245 children, aged 1 to 18 years, was determined. In the eldest group (15-18), 29.2% of the sera were positive for the IgG antibody. Toxoplasma gondii infection in pregnant women and immunosuppressed patients produces severe consequences, while in immunocompetent individuals it is considered asymptomatic and latent. Recent emerging links to mental disorders has shed a completely new light on the public health view of this common infection. It calls for a new approach in the prevention and screening of a population, children being the target group. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TR31084]

Keywords

• Toxoplasma gondii
• children
• public health
• seroprevalence