Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii infection causes high rate of gestational and congenital infection across the globe and is considered a both a public health problem and a neglected disease. The study was carried out to determine the prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies and the associated risk factors among pregnant women attending antenatal care in some Primary Health Centres in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. In this cross-sectional study carried out within 5 months between Jan – May 2019, a total of 182 blood samples were collected from consenting pregnant women. Structured questionnaire was used to obtain data on socio-demography and risk factors. Three millilitres (3 ml) of blood samples were collected from the study participants. Sera were separated from the blood and evaluated for anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies (IgG and IgM) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The data collected from the experiment were analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. Out of the 182 samples examined, 84 (46.2%) had anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgG antibody, 2 (1.1%) had IgM antibody while 98 (53.4%) were neither seropositive for IgG nor IgM. Trimester of pregnancy was significantly associated with prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma IgM antibody. In conclusion, Toxoplasmosis is prevalent in Jos. Eleven out of every 1000 women (i.e. 1.1%) had recent toxoplasmosis and 53.4% were not protected against primary infection thereby underscoring the need for prevention and control during pregnancy through enlightenment.
Highlights
Toxoplasma gondii, which occurs worldwide, is an obligate intracellular apicomplexan protozoan parasite that is responsible for toxoplasmosis in animals and humans[1,2]
Should primary infection occurs during pregnancy, the parasite could cross the placental barrier causing congenital toxoplasmosis, which may lead to myriad of health problems such as spontaneous miscarriage, stillbirth, or congenital abnormalities such as mental retardation, hydrocephalus, intracerebral calcifications, and chorioretinitis[7,8,9,10,11]
Awoke et al.[9] reported that antenatal screening of pregnant women for T. gondii infection is based on IgG and IgM antibodies detection and is the main means of monitoring the risk for congenital toxoplasmosis
Summary
Toxoplasma gondii, which occurs worldwide, is an obligate intracellular apicomplexan protozoan parasite that is responsible for toxoplasmosis in animals and humans[1,2]. Anti-Toxoplasma gondii Antibodies: Prevalence and Risk Factors among Pregnant Women Accessing Antenatal Care in Some Primary Health Centers in Jos Metropolis, Nigeria. Should primary infection occurs during pregnancy, the parasite could cross the placental barrier causing congenital toxoplasmosis, which may lead to myriad of health problems such as spontaneous miscarriage, stillbirth, or congenital abnormalities such as mental retardation, hydrocephalus, intracerebral calcifications, and chorioretinitis[7,8,9,10,11]. Awoke et al.[9] reported that antenatal screening of pregnant women for T. gondii infection is based on IgG and IgM antibodies detection and is the main means of monitoring the risk for congenital toxoplasmosis. The general danger of congenital maternal infection from primary toxoplasmosis during pregnancy varies from 20% to 50% if left untreated[13]. Despite the risk of vertical transmission of toxoplasmosis, serological tests for T. gondii infection are not routinely performed during pregnancy in Nigeria. The aim of this study, was to investigate the seroprevalence and risk factors of T. gondii infection by determining (1) the seroprevalence of IgG and IgM specific to T. gondii and (2) risk factors that are associated with toxoplasmosis
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