Abstract
BackgroundThe prevalence of infection with Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) in humans has been increasing in China due to the growing number of cats in the country. Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is a serious public health issue in China and still one of the leading causes of child mortality. However, little is known about the epidemiology of T. gondii infection among HFMD patients.MethodsA case–control study of 281 HFMD patients from the First People’s Hospital of Pingdingshan in Pingdingshan city, Henan province, central China, and 222 controls from Pingdingshan city was conducted. Anti-T. gondii antibodies were serologically detected using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.ResultsWe found that the overall anti-T. gondii immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody prevalence among HFMD patients was 12.46 %, which was significantly higher than that in clinically healthy children (1.80 %). The highest T. gondii seroprevalence was detected in critical cases (22.58 %), followed by severe cases (11.50 %), and the lowest was detected in mild cases (8.33 %).ConclusionThe present study is the first survey of T. gondii seroprevalence among HFMD patients in China; 12.46 % were defined as seropositive. It is imperative that improved integrated measures are taken to prevent and control T. gondii infection among HFMD patients.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40249-015-0088-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
The prevalence of infection with Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) in humans has been increasing in China due to the growing number of cats in the country
Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is a common viral illness mainly caused by coxsackievirus A16 (Cox A16) and enterovirus 71 (EV71) [1, 2] infections
The highest seroprevalence of T. gondii infection was found among children in the age group of one to two years (16.09 %, 14/87) and the lowest was found among children in the age group of < one year (8.87 %, 11/124)
Summary
The prevalence of infection with Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) in humans has been increasing in China due to the growing number of cats in the country. Foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is a serious public health issue in China and still one of the leading causes of child mortality. Foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is a common viral illness mainly caused by coxsackievirus A16 (Cox A16) and enterovirus 71 (EV71) [1, 2] infections. Children under five years of age are more susceptible to HFMD, as over 50 % of children in this age bracket lack the neutralizing antibodies that protect against EV71 and Cox A16 infections [1, 3, 4]. Symptoms of HFMD include fever, headache and poor appetite, followed by an intensely sore throat and a rash with very small blisters on the hands, feet and diaper area. Since the 1980s, a number of severe HFMD outbreaks have been documented and HFMD remains a significant public health challenge, especially in the Asia-Pacific region
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