Abstract
Background Congenital toxoplasmosis (CT) is caused by placental transfer of Toxoplasma gondii to the fetus, which can generate neurological, neurocognitive deficits, or death. Appropriate preventive strategies are required for infection-related risk factors. This study assessed the prevalence of T. gondii infection and the factors associated with CT in pregnant women with assistance from the Public Health Service at Ouro Preto, Brazil. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted between April and December 2020. Pregnant women (n=131) aged between 13 and 46 years, were recruited and evaluated for specific IgM/IgG antibody levels against T. gondii. A structured questionnaire was applied to determine the socioeconomic, environmental, gestational, clinical, and dietary patterns. Results The prevalence of T. gondii was 45.8% (n = 60) in which multiparas revealed to be more exposed to infection and were 2.6 times more likely to become infected with the parasite compared to primiparas, (odds ratio, OR=2.60; 95% confidence interval, CI=1.25-5.39). A high prevalence of T. gondii seropositivity was found to be related to the absence of basic sanitation at home. In conclusion, multiparas constitute risk factor for CT. Conclusions Educational and preventive measures should be intensified in uninfected multiparas to raise awareness about the potential risks of contact with T. gondii.
Highlights
Congenital toxoplasmosis (CT) is an infectious disease caused by placental transfer of Toxoplasma gondii protozoa to the fetus and can result in neurological and neurocognitive deficits or death.[1,2]
Placental transference of the protozoan is related to severe toxoplasmosis in neonates, which may be related to the genetic characteristics of T. gondii isolates prevalent in animals and humans.[7]
In Brazil, T. gondii infection ranges from 50–80% in women of reproductive age.[11]
Summary
This cross-sectional study was conducted between April and December 2020. Pregnant women (n=131) aged between 13 and 46 years, were recruited and evaluated for specific IgM/IgG antibody levels against T. gondii. The women responded to a structured questionnaire that was used to obtain information regarding the socioeconomic (age, education, occupation, income, and place of residence), environmental (access to water, sewage network, urban waste collection, contact with domestic animals, animal disposals at home, gardening, use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in gardening, handwashing after using the bathroom), gestational (gestational age, number of pregnancies, neuroocular complications of the firstborn, abortion, eclampsia, body mass index (BMI) pre-gestational and gestational weight gain), clinical (stool parasitological examination, type of protozoan in stool, blood pressure, kidney disease, urine culture, and types of bacteria), and food (consumption of unpasteurized milk, raw vegetables and meat, fruit/vegetable washing process, cross contamination in meal preparation, handwashing before food preparation) conditions.
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