Seroepidemiology of toxoplasmosis in pregnant women since the implementation of the Surveillance Program of Toxoplasmosis Acquired in Pregnancy and Congenital in the western region of Paraná, Brazil

Abstract

To evaluate the susceptibility to toxoplasmosis in pregnant women in the public health service from two cities in the western region of Paraná, Brazil. Four thousand twenty-two pregnant women were evaluated for anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgG and IgM by ELISA and MEIA. Seronegative pregnant women repeated the serology in the second and third trimester of pregnancy. Neonatal screening of 27 newborns was also performed in one of the cities to detect IgM anti- Toxoplasma gondii by fluorometry. All pregnant women answered an epidemiological questionnaire to analyze the factors associated with the risk of infection by Toxoplasma gondii. For statistical analysis, the presence of IgG anti-Toxoplasma gondii was considered as the dependent variable and the variables contained in the epidemiological questionnaire as the independent ones. The prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgG in pregnant women was 59.8 and 60.6%. In one of the cities, the variables associated with the presence of IgG antibodies were low educational level and more than one pregnancy. There was no association with other factors studied such as consumption of raw or undercooked meat, consumption of raw vegetables, consumption of colonial salami, handling soil or sand, the presence of a home vegetable garden and cats in the household. In the other city there was no statistical association with the variables studied. No case of acute infection and no seroconversion were confirmed in either city. None of the infants evaluated were positive for toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasmosis is common in pregnant women attended by the public health service in the region studied and 40% of them are susceptible to the infection. These data reinforce the need to keep the screening program in these cities.