Risk Of Toxoplasmosis Research Articles

Gender and sex differences in occupation-specific infectious diseases: a systematic review

Occupational infectious disease risks between men and women have often been attributed to the gendered distribution of the labour force, with limited comparative research on occupation-specific infectious disease risks. The...

Toxoplasma gondii in Wild Boars (Sus scrofa) in Germany: Serological Screening from Thuringia.

Game meat is an important source of meat borne parasitic infections. Due to its omnivorous diet, the wild boar is an important host of zoonotic parasites such as Toxoplasma gondii. T. gondii can cause severe to fatal disease in immunosuppressed patients, as well as congenital disorders in foetus and neonates. Consumption of undercooked infected meat is a main source of T. gondii infection. Information about the risk of toxoplasmosis through game meat is scarce. We collected serum samples from 42 wild boars from the federal state of Thuringia (Germany) between December 2017 and February 2018. Identification of anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies was conducted using a commercial indirect ELISA kit. Seropositivity was confirmed in 18 of the 42 samples (37.50%). From these, the highest seroprevalence was found in adult animals. This study joins another single database from wild boars in Brandenburg. The necessity of a country-wide database regarding T. gondii prevalence in wild boar and other game meat is pivotal for a profound risk analysis with its consequential impact in future mean hygiene policies.

Deregulation of MicroRNA-146a and 155 expression levels might underlie complicated pregnancy in Toxoplasma Gondii seronegative women

BackgroundTo evaluate the ability of the estimated plasma expression levels of genes of microRNA (MiR-) 146a and 155 to differentiate between samples of pregnant women suspected to be infected by T. gondii. 50 newly pregnant women who had at least one of the criteria of high risk for toxoplasma infection and 50 newly primigravida women free of these criteria gave blood samples for qualitative determination of serum toxoplasma antibodies and estimation of plasma expression levels of MiR-146a and 155 using the qRT-PCR. During the pregnancy course, the incidence of pregnancy complications was recorded.ResultsTwenty-six women were IgM−/IgG−, 17 women were IgM+/IgG− and 7 women were IgM+/IgG+. Thirty-two women had pregnancy complications with significantly lower incidence in IgM−/IgG− women. Plasma expression levels of MiR-146a and 155 were significantly higher in total patients compared to control levels and were significantly higher in samples of IgM+/IgG+ patients than in other samples. Statistical analyses defined a high plasma level of MiR-155 as the highly significant predictor for oncoming pregnancy complications and high levels of both microRNAs as predictors for the presence of toxoplasmosis despite seronegativity. Kaplan-Meier regression analysis defined increasing cumulative risk of having toxoplasmosis despite seronegativity with plasma levels of MiR-146a and MiR-155 of 1.2 and 3, respectively.ConclusionThe incidence of pregnancy complications is high, irrespective of the seronegativity of women at high risk of toxoplasmosis. Estimated plasma levels of MiR-155 might identify women liable to develop complications and differentiate seronegative women vulnerable to having T. gondii infection.Trial registrationThe study protocol was approved preliminarily by the Local Ethical Committee at Benha Faculty of Medicine. Before enrollment, the study protocol was discussed in detail with the study participants, and those accepted to participate in the study signed written fully informed consents. The final approval of the study protocol was obtained after the end of case collection and registered by RC: 5-11-2022.

Toxoplasmosis and Chlamydophilosis in Small Ruminant Farms in Cameroon: Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices, and Perception of Zoonotic Risks of Farmers.

Zoonotic abortive diseases represent a significant health and economic risk for national public health. This cross-sectional survey was conducted from April to October 2021 among 200 selected small ruminant farmers in the three northern regions of Cameroon. Data collection was done through questionnaires administered by exchange with the herder, and responses were coded and recorded on an Excel spreadsheet. The data were then analyzed with R software, version 2.13.0. An ANOVA test was used to assess significant differences in mean of Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices, and Perception of zoonotic risks (KAPP) scores between regions. Pearson correlations were used to calculate the association between KAPP scores within regions. Small ruminant farmers surveyed had low mean scores for knowledge of abortive toxoplasmosis and chlamydophilosis (0.1 ± 0.2), desirable attitude (0.32 ± 0.07), appropriate practice (0.36 ± 0.13) in managing abortion, and positive perception of zoonotic risks of toxoplasmosis and chlamydophilosis in small ruminants (0.12 ± 0.33), respectively. KAPP was significantly (P < 0.01) and positively associated with knowledge (r = 0.98) and risk perception (r = 0.99). However, attitudes (r = 0.06), practices (r = 0.05), and risk perception of toxoplasmosis (r = 0.07) and chlamydophilosis (r = 0.08) were not associated with farmers' knowledge. This study revealed significant knowledge gaps, low levels of desired attitudes, and high-risk behavioral practices. These results therefore call for capacity building of health professionals and farmers to better integrate the One Health concept in the management of neglected zoonotic diseases.

Comparison of the prevalence of risk factors for Toxoplasma Gondii infection among pregnant women in rural and urban areas in Poland.

Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite. While this infection typically exhibits no symptoms in humans, it poses a potential threat to the developing fetus in pregnant women. Several risk factors contribute to toxoplasmosis infection. Adherence to hygiene protocols and avoiding the consumption of raw meat, unwashed vegetables, and fruits may mitigate the risk of this disease. This study aimed to compare the prevalence of toxoplasmosis risk factors among pregnant women suspected of toxoplasmosis living in rural areas with those residing in urban areas. A retrospective observational study was conducted by analyzing data from the medical records of pregnant women suspected of toxoplasmosis. These women were consulted at the Provincial Infectious Diseases Hospital between September 2019 and March 2020. The analysis encompassed patients' demographic data and information concerning toxoplasmosis risk factors. A total of 273 women's data were included in the analysis. Diagnosis relied on serological verification using the VIDAS® analyzer (bioMérieux, Lyon, France). Women residing in rural areas were less likely to report a good socio-economic status (p=0.0064), and toxoplasmosis infection was less frequently ruled out (p=0.0023). In comparison to women living in urban areas, pregnant women from rural regions were more likely to have confirmed primary toxoplasmosis (p=0.0164). Additionally, they were more prone to working in gardens without gloves (p<0.0001), consuming unwashed vegetables (p=0.0025), eating raw meat during pregnancy (p=0.0008), and cats caregiving during pregnancy (p=0.0002). This exposure included both care for domestic cats before and during pregnancy (p=0.0069) and interactions with wild cats (p<0.0001). Pregnant women living in rural areas exhibited significantly higher exposure to toxoplasmosis risk factors. They also displayed a higher incidence of primary infections during pregnancy and a lower rate of excluded infections.

Newly optimized ELISA kit and LAT reveal significantly higher seroprevalence in sheep raised in agro-ecological zone as against range-ecological zone, with a significant association of meteorological parameters.

Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic and foodborne intracellular parasite capable of inducing congenital infections, stillbirths and abortions in humans and animals, globally. The consumption of undercooked or raw mutton is "one of the vital risks" for acquiring toxoplasmosis: an asymptomatic condition in healthy persons, while life-threatening in immunodeficient individuals like "HIV/AIDS" patients. The current study has multiple objectives: to optimize a newly ELISA kit for Sheep, to find out the seroprevalence of ovine toxoplasmosis of two ecological zones of the Punjab, Pakistan through LAT and newly Optimized Sheep ELISA kit, to do the comparison of efficacies of various tests (LAT with newly Optimized ELISA kit and newly Optimized ELISA kit with commercial ELISA kit) and to determine the different meteorological parameters as the risk factors for T. gondii infection in sheep. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 400 sheep sera, 200 were collected from sheep raised on open grazing system by local farmers in the adjoining areas of Civil Veterinary Dispensaries (CVDs) of range-ecological zone i.e. tehsil Kot Chutta (Dera Ghazi khan). Similarly, the remaining 200 were collected from agro-ecological zone i.e. tehsil Sharaqpur (Sheikhupura), to evaluate the comparative efficacy of LAT with optimized ELISA kit and newly optimized ELISA kit with commercial ELISA kit. The newly ELISA kit optimized against a commercial ELISA kit was found to have 100% sensitivity, 97.6% specificity with 98% Positive Predictive Value, 100% Negative Predictive Value, Cut off value = 0.505, 28.28 LR+, 0.0104 LR-, and 2719.23 DOR. Seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis was detected significantly (P < 0.01; χ2) higher in Sharaqpur (44.5% by LAT; 35.5% by ELISA) as compared to that in Kot Chutta (39.5% by LAT; 31% by ELISA). The highest seroprevalence was seen in the sheep of the 1-2 years age group (P < 0.01; χ2), whereas the lowest in the oldest animals (≥ 4 years). Investigation of meteorological data of both the regions reveals that the zone with higher seroprevalence has relatively higher rainfall, higher humidity, lower environmental temperatures, and higher altitude as the critical factors, potentially behind the significant difference seen in seroprevalence level. The partial correlation of both tests (newly optimized ELISA kit and LAT) was 0.991 at maximum temperature in Sharaqpur while it was 0.981 in Kot Chutta. A novel significant correlation was found between the meteorological parameters (relative humidity, minimum, maximum, and average temperatures) divided into yearly units of both the ecological zones, and year-wise seroprevalence (birth years of age-wise groups) of the corresponding regions. We hypothesize that such environmental conditions increase the risk of toxoplasmosis in grazing sheep, owing to a more favorable environment for coccidian oocyst survival. The ELISA kit optimized in this study will be helpful for the detection of seroprevalence of ovine toxoplasmosis in other ecological zones of Pakistan as well as of any other country in the world. More studies are recommended involving regions from other ecological zones of Pakistan to further explore the seroprevalence of ovine toxoplasmosis and to ratify the novel correlation of meteorological parameters with seroprevalence.

Association between toxoplasmosis and autoimmune rheumatic diseases in Egyptian patients

PurposeTo explore the association between T. gondii and autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs). MethodsThis study involved 82 patients with ARDs: 44 rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 28 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and 10 systemic sclerosis (SSc) and 61 age- and sex-matched controls. Sociodemographic, clinical, and laboratory data were collected, and disease activity was assessed. Exposure to toxoplasmosis risk factors was investigated. Serological tests for anti-Toxoplasma IgM and IgG antibodies were assessed using ELISA. ResultsIn SLE patients, a significant difference of T. gondii IgM versus controls was detected (P=.03). In RA and SLE patients, T. gondii IgG showed a significant difference versus controls (34 (77.3%) P=.001 and 18 (64.3%) P=.03, respectively). There was no significant difference in SSc versus controls. Fetal congenital anomalies displayed a significant difference in IgM seropositive compared to seronegative patients (P=.04). Cat exposure showed a significant difference between IgM and IgG seropositive versus seronegative patients (12 (80.0%) P=.02 and 34 (59.6) P=.04, respectively). There was no significant difference in seropositive patients regarding history of abortion, neuro-psychiatric manifestations, disease activity parameters (ESR, CRP), or different regimens of medications. ConclusionToxoplasma IgM seropositivity is associated with SLE patients. T. gondii IgG seropositivity is associated with both RA and SLE patients. However, Toxoplasma seropositivity had no association with SSc patients. An association between fetal congenital anomalies and IgM seropositivity was demonstrated. A linkage between cat exposure as a risk factor and toxoplasmosis was suggested among ARD patiants. Exploration of impact of toxoplasmosis on ARDs is a necessity through randomized controlled trials.

Gestational toxoplasmosis treatment changes the child's prognosis: A cohort study in southern Brazil.

We evaluate the drug treatment for pregnant women with acute toxoplasmosis to reduce the risk of congenital infection, side effects (prenatal and postnatal treatment in children) and the hazard of discontinuing the infant's medication. We conducted a prospective cohort study to assess the risks of congenital toxoplasmosis among children born to acutely infected women with and without treatment. We examined the relationship between "exposed" and "infected children", "number of infant neutrophils", "prenatal" and "postnatal treatment". Factor analysis of mixed data (FAMD) was used to analyze the data. All children started treatment at the hospital. Between 2017 and 2021, 233 pregnant women were evaluated at the University Hospital of Maringá; ninety-four met criteria for acute gestational toxoplasmosis. We followed up 61 children; eleven (18%) had the infection confirmed and 50 (82%) were free of toxoplasmosis (exposed). Children born to untreated mothers have 6.5-times higher risk of being infected; the transmission rate among untreated mothers was 50% versus 8.3% among treated ones. Three decreasing values of immunoglobulin G were a security parameter for stopping the child's medication in the exposed group (50/61). Neutropenia was the leading side effect among children and the infected had a 2.7 times higher risk. There was no correlation between maternal use of pyrimethamine and children's neutropenia. The follow-up of women with acute T. gondii infection and their children, through a multidisciplinary team, availability of anti-T. gondii serology and pre- and post-natal treatments reduced the risk of toxoplasmosis transmission.

First application of a droplet digital PCR to detect Toxoplasma gondii in mussels.

Toxoplasmosis, caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, is one of the main food-, water- and soil-borne zoonotic disease worldwide. Over the past 20 years many papers were published on the transmission of T. gondii by marine animals, including mollusks, which can concentrate the oocysts and release them. Sporulated oocysts may remain viable and infective for 18 months in seawater. Therefore, raw or undercooked bivalve mollusks pose a risk to humans. This study aimed to apply and validate for the first time a very sensitive digital droplet polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) protocol to detect and quantify T. gondii DNA in mussels. Four concentration levels: 8000 genomic copies (gc)/μL, 800 gc/μL, 80 gc/μL, 8 gc/μL of a T. gondii reference DNA were tested. DNA was extracted from 80 pools of mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis). Forty pools were contaminated with T. gondii reference DNA and used as positive controls, while 40 pools were used as negative controls. DdPCR reaction was prepared using a protocol, previously developed by the authors, for detection of T. gondii in meat. Amplification was obtained up 8 gc/μL. All infected replicates resulted positive, as well as no droplets were detected in negative controls. The droplets produced in the reaction ranged from 8,828 to 14,075 (average 12,627 droplets). The sensitivity and specificity of ddPCR were 100% (95%CI = 94.3-99.9). In addition, 100 pools of mussels collected in the Gulf of Naples were used to validate the protocol. Of these 16% were positive (95% CI = 9.7-25.0) for T. gondii. Samples were also tested by real-time PCR and no positive samples were found. Data obtained from ddPCR showed good identification of negative and positive samples with higher specificity and efficiency than real-time PCR. This tool could be very useful for a rapid sensitive detection of low DNA concentrations of T. gondii in mussels, reducing the risk of toxoplasmosis in humans.

The epidemiology of patients with toxoplasmosis and its associated risk factors in Taiwan during the 2007-2020 period.

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic parasitic disease caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii), and may cause miscarriage and birth defects during pregnancy. This study aimed to assess the epidemiological features, epidemic trends, and correlations between the before number of confirmed toxoplasmosis cases in Taiwan from 2007 to 2020 in gender, age, season, and residential area, and hypothesized the environmental and climate factors also might affect the disease in Taiwan. This study reviewed publicly available annual summary data on reported toxoplasmosis cases in the Taiwan Centers for Diseases Control (TCDC) between 2007 and 2020. This study collected 150 confirmed domestic and nine patients with imported toxoplasmosis. There was an increasing trend in the incidence of toxoplasmosis, 0.09-0.89 cases per 1,000,000 people, peaking in 2017. The average annual toxoplasmosis incidence was 4.4, 13, and 18 during 2007-2011, 2012-2016, and 2017-2020, respectively. Comparing sex, age, season, and place of residence, the incidence rate was highest in male, 20-39 years-old patients, summer, and the eastern region, with 1.02, 1.72, 0.38, and 3.63 cases per million population, respectively. Additionally, comparing the distribution of cases by age group in Taiwan, there were significant differences between 40-59 years-old in the northern region (odds ratio (OR) = 0.343, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.167-0.705, p = 0.004) and 40-59 years-old in the southern region (OR = 4.488, and 95% CI = 2.149-9.374, p< 0.001), respectively. Linear regression analysis also showed that PM (particulate matter) 2.5 (μg/m3) concentration was positively associated with toxoplasmosis (β = 0.095, p = 0.037). CO concentration was negatively correlated with toxoplasmosis (β = -14.001, p = 0.021). This study is the first to report domestic and confirmed cases of imported toxoplasmosis from the surveillance data of the TCDC between 2007 and 2020. It identified that residence and age were associated with an increased risk of toxoplasmosis in Taiwan. This study confirmed that toxoplasmosis remains a prevalent infectious disease in Taiwan, its epidemic is gradually increasing and becoming more severe. These findings might be useful for policy-makers and clinical experts to direct prevention and control activities to patients with T. gondii, which causes the most severe illness and greatest burden to Taiwanese people.

АНАЛИЗ АКТИВНОСТИ ТОКСОПЛАЗМЕННОЙ ИНВАЗИИ У ЛЮДЕЙ ПОЖИЛОГО И СТАРЧЕСКОГО ВОЗРАСТА

Introduction. Persons of the older age group, due to weakened immunity, are at risk for toxoplasmosis: with age, the level of seropositivity and the risk of reactivation of infection in people with chronic infection increases. But in clinical and epidemiological terms, this group has not been sufficiently studied. Purpose of the study. Determination of the level of seropositivity and the degree of activity of toxoplasma invasion in persons of the older age category without pathology, as well as in combination with psychoneurological symptoms or transplantation of solid organs. Materials and methods. The ELISA method was used to determine various classes of antibodies to T. gondii in the blood sera of 614 people aged 60 to 93 years (conditionally healthy individuals, patients with neuropsychiatric pathology, with cognitive decline, after organ transplantation). Results. IgG antibodies to T. gondii were detected in 51,5 % of the examined people. There was a trend of increasing infection from the age of 60-64 years to 75-79 years. Very few cases of acute toxoplasmosis have been identified; more significant was the detection of IgA antibodies, a reactivation marker, in 10,1 % of the examined antibodies. The largest number of individuals with IgA was observed in patients after transplantation, with neuropsychiatric pathology and cognitive decline. Discussion. Since toxoplasmosis is a latent infection of the brain and its association with a number of mental and neurodegenerative diseases has been proven, the high T. gondii infection in elderly people and the presence of reactivation markers in them suggests systematic monitoring of invasion, especially when combined with CNS pathology and reduced immunity. People aged "60+" with a certain clinical history are at risk in the presence of a parasite in the body. Conclusion. Finding an association between toxoplasmosis and psychiatric disorders in immunocompetent individuals is the basis for further monitoring of such associations with a view to their prevention and treatment. Key words: toxoplasmosis, Toxoplasma gondii, psycho-neurological diseases, elderly people, detection of antibodies.

A vision of a One Health system for Australia: on the need to rethink our health system.

A vision of a One Health system for Australia: on the need to rethink our health system.

Seroprevalence and risk factors predicting Toxoplasma gondii (Toxoplasmosis) infection in pregnant women in Koula-Moutou and surrounding departments in central-eastern Gabon

Serological screening for toxoplasmosis in pregnant women in Gabon is not always systematic during pregnancy. However, whether in urban, rural or semi-rural areas, hygiene and living conditions are often precarious for these populations at risk. This state of affairs constitutes a favorable terrain for the dissemination of the disease. It is in this context that the objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence and risk factors predicting Toxoplama gondii infection in pregnant women in the province of Ogooué-Lolo, of which Koula-Moutou is the capital, a semi-rural area in central-eastern Gabon. This prospective, cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2 to February 28, 2022 in a population of pregnant women from two of the most frequented health centers in the commune of Koula-Moutou: the Centre Hospitalier Régional Paul MOUKAMBI (CHRPM) and the Centre de Santé Urbain (CSU) of Koula-Moutou, in east-central Gabon. From serum/plasma collected from pregnant women, the rapid diagnostic immunological technique “Onsite Rapid Test TOXO IgG/IgM Combo”, a lateral flow chromatography immunological test for the simultaneous detection and differentiation of anti- Toxoplasma gondii ( T. gondii ) IgG and IgM, was used to perform toxoplasma serologies . A pre-established and structured questionnaire on sociodemographic factors and risk factors associated with toxoplasmosis was submitted to the participants and the data obtained were analyzed using R software version 3.6.1. The study included 97 pregnant women from the city of Koula-Moutou and surrounding departments, aged 16 to 43 years, with a mean age of 27.9 ± 7.1 years. IgG antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii were found in 78 pregnant women, representing a seroprevalence of 80.41% ( n = 78), among whom 5.13% ( n = 4) were diagnosed as seropositive to IgM anti- Toxoplasma gondii in this study. In univariate analysis , pupils/students (COR = 14.65; 95% CI: [1.86–115.24]), women with a small trade (COR = 0.53; 95% CI: [0.12–2.28]), or even those with no professional status (COR = 0.19; 95% CI: [0.05–0.74]), those with primary (COR = 0.28; 95% CI: [0.09–0.83]), secondary (COR = 6.15; 95% CI: [2.1–18.04]) and university (COR = .2; 95% CI: [0.04–0.89]) education, those who were single (COR = 3.21; 95% CI: [0. 98–10.55]) and finally, those with a number of pregnancies ranging from 1 to 5 (OR = 4.11; 95% CI: [1.41–11.99]), were at high risk of Toxoplasmosis, After adjustment of risk factors by multivariate logistic regression , cohabitation with cats and/or dogs, rabbits, mice (Adjusted OR = 0.17; 95% CI: [0.00–0.67]) was identified as the only significant risk factor for Toxoplasmosis ( P = 0.037) in our study population. In order to prevent Toxoplasma gondii infections and protect newborns in Gabon, awareness of the risks of contamination, systematic serological surveillance and hygiene measures are necessary and should be proposed to pregnant women during prenatal consultations.

Epidemiological Study with Evaluation of Molecular and Immunologicalassay for Detection of Toxoplasma gondii in aborted women.

Toxoplasmosis, caused by Toxoplasma gondii, is one of the most prevalent parasite ‎illnesses in humans. Although primary infection in a pregnant woman is usually asymptomatic, it has the potential to cause significant harm to the fetus, including miscarriage. In this study, we ‎investigate the usefulness of the PCR to confirm the etiology of the abortion. A prospective ‎study in the Al-Diwaniyah maternity and pediatric teaching hospital in Iraq was conducted. The research comprised 94 aborted women. We have reported a new ‎internal primer for the nested PCR protocol to detect toxoplasmosis. In the 94-aborted ‎women, 30 samples (31.9 %) were positive by the nPCR using the G529 repeat gene and ‎qPCR using B1 gene primers. We have shown that three women carry the ‎parasite in their placentas, and at the same time, they do not carry antibodies in their blood.‎ We recommend that women should be aware of the risk of toxoplasmosis and the ‎importance of preventing measures. In addition, PCR should be done in the case of ‎abortion to enhance sensitivity even if serology is negative.

Impact of Toxoplasmosis in Im-mune Respons in Hemodialysis Patients

Background:Toxoplasma gondii is the most common infection of protozoa, affecting a wide range of hosts. Toxoplasmosis is usually asymptomatic in immu-nocompetent persons, but in immunocompromised persons (ex:patients on dialysis) significant problems can ensure, and may progress to a life-threatening infection. Objective: To investigate the seroprevalence of anti-Toxoplasma anti-bodies in patients undergoing hemodialysis in Baquba / Iraq . Patients and Methods: A group of blood samples, consisting of 75 dial-ysis patients and 50 healthy controls, were examined for the detection of anti-toxoplasma antibodies in Baquba Governorate from November 2020 to April 2021 using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for IgG and IgM. Results: The total numbers of the 125 samples were examined, 32 (44.0%) and 2 (4.0%) were IgG-positive for both patients and healthy individual respectively, and the results of the current study showed only 1 (1.33%) was seropositive IgM for patient group, while no seroposi-tive healthy subjects was found for IgM . The results showed that the percentage of seropositivity was higher in 17 males (40.47%) than in females 15 (45.45%) in the group of patients, but the differences were not statistically significant . As for the age groups, a positive increase was observed in the age group 11-30 years when comparing patients and healthy people, as the percentage reached 5 (29.41%). It was also ob-served that the highest seropositivity in the education levels was in the group of patients at the educational level 6-12 (45.45%) than in the healthy controls group, but the differences were not statistically signifi-cant between education levels. Patients living in urban areas had signifi-cantly higher serum (P = 0.0041) than patients in rural areas, and the odds ratio was 22,000. And those who had contact with cats showed a significant increase in seropositivity p = 0.0466 and odds ratio was 20.5789. Conclusion: Dialysis patients are at risk for toxoplasmosis and should be screened on a regular basis to prevent the disease from spreading dur-ing hemodialysis. Keywords: Toxoplasma gondii, Hemodialysis, Antibodies ,IgG

Geospatial epidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii infection in livestock, pets, and humans in China, 1984-2020.

Undercooked or raw meat containing cyst-stage bradyzoites and oocyst-contaminated pets are presumed to constitute a major source of human toxoplasmosis. As the geospatial epidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) infection in livestock, pets, and humans is rarely studied in China, we undertook a geospatial analysis using GIS visualization techniques. The present study retrieved information from the PubMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Baidu Scholar databases from 1984 up to 2020. All the data about the seroprevalence of T. gondii in livestock (sheep and goats, pigs, cattle and yaks), pets (cats, dogs), and humans in China were collected. Geospatial epidemiology of T. gondii infection in these hosts was performed using GIS. Results revealed that the estimated pooled seroprevalence of T. gondii was ranged from 3.98 to 43.02% in sheep and goats in China, 0.75 to 30.34% in cattle and yaks, 10.45 to 66.47% in pigs, 2.50 to 60.00% in cats, 0.56 to 27.65% in dogs, and 0.72 to 23.41% in humans. The higher seroprevalences of T. gondii were observed in sheep and goats in the districts of Chongqing, Zhejiang, and Beijing. The infection rates of T. gondii in cattle and yaks were higher in Guizhou, Zhejiang, and Chongqing. Also, the pigs from Chongqing and Guizhou were most severely infected with T. gondii. For cats, the districts of Shanxi, Hebei, and Yunnan had higher seroprevalences of T. gondii and, the infections among dogs were higher in Yunnan and Hebei as well. Furthermore, higher infection pressure of T. gondii exists in the districts of Taiwan and Tibet in humans. The geographical and spatial distribution of toxoplasmosis indicated that infection with T. gondii was widely spread in China, with a wide range of variations among the different hosts and regions in the country. Our results suggested that livestock and pets are not only a reservoir for the parasite but also a direct source of T. gondii infection for humans. It is important to control T. gondii infections in these animals that would reduce the risk of toxoplasmosis in humans.

Diagnosis of Toxoplasma Infection in Allogenic Pre HCTSP Patients Using Molecular Methods.

Background:We aimed to estimate the incidence of Toxoplasma infection in T. gondiiseropositive patients under allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).Methods:The present research was a prospective study on 54 whole blood samples of allogeneic HSCT recipients, who were referring to bone narrow transplantation centers affiliated to Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran in 2018. All patients were IgG positive against T. gondii.Results:Overall, 54 Toxoplasma positive pre-HCTSP patients were enrolled. 53.7% (n= 29) were male, also 1.9% (n=1) had germ-line type of the disease. The Multiple myeloma patients had higher age in comparison with other disease, but pairwise comparison showed the difference of age between Multiple myeloma patients were statistically significant with Acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Acute myeloblastic leukemia and Huntington’s disease (P< 0.05). The results of PCR assay showed 5.6% (n= 3) of the patients were infected with Toxoplasma.Conclusion:PCR method has detected considerable incidence of Toxoplasma infection for monitoring HSCT recipients at risk for toxoplasmosis, and many patients who showed the incidence of toxoplasmosis had previous infections with the Toxoplasma parasite.

Risk factors of cerebral toxoplasmosis in HIV patients: A systematic review

Introduction. Cerebral toxoplasmosis is one of the diseases of the central nervous system that can occur in people with AIDS. Cerebral toxoplasmosis occupies third place among fatal diseases that can occur in people with AIDS. Prevalence of toxoplasmosis is about 25-30% of the world’s human population, and in Asia it is as high as 40%. Risk factors for developing cerebral toxoplasmosis is needed to be sought to to find out risk factors that triggers and acts as protective factors for toxoplasmosis cerebral in HIV-positive patients Methods. Two reviewers searched PubMed and Medline to identify cohort, case-control and cross-sectional studies. Two independent reviewers searched the databases, identified studies and extracted data. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied for the data screening. Results. Four studies were included. Two prospective cohort studies, one multicenter cohort study and one case control study. Age was not found to have a role as a risk factor. Gender was shown to have significant in one study (Male vs female OR 0.47 95% CI 0.25-0.88, p = 0.02). CD4 &lt;100 increased the risk of toxoplasmosis by 27.94 times, while CD4 0-50 increased the risk by 10.82 times. HIV viral load &gt; 100.000 was associated with 5.10 times higher to develop cerebral toxoplasma. Prophylaxis therapy using cotrimoxazole can reduce the risk of cerebral toxoplasmosis. Conclusion. Age, female sex, low CD4 cell count, and high HIV viral load increase the risk of cerebral toxoplasmosis, whereas ART therapy and prophylaxis with cotrimoxazole can reduce the risk.

T. gondii Infection in Urban and Rural Areas in the Amazon: Where Is the Risk for Toxoplasmosis?

Toxoplasmosis, an infection caused by Toxoplasma gondii, which is found worldwide, can affect human and animal health in different ways. This study aimed to estimate the infection prevalence in humans and to determine risk factors related to urban and rural areas in a municipality in the Brazilian Amazon where an outbreak had been registered. Blood samples for serological analysis were obtained, and interviews were performed to fill out an epidemiological questionnaire. A total of 1140 individuals were included, of which 70.6% (804/1140; 95% CI: 67.9–73.2%) were positive for IgG anti-T. gondii antibodies. In rural areas, the prevalence was 62.6% (95% CI: 58.9–66.3%), while in urban areas, it was 81.9% (95% CI: 78.4–85.4%). The risk of becoming infected in urban areas was 2.7 times higher (95% CI = 2.0–3.6%) than that in rural areas. When comparing the prevalence in the age group from 1 to 10 years in both areas, the rate was 28.6% (42/147; 95% CI: 21.3–35.9%) for rural areas and 69.4% (61/88; CI 95%: 59.7–79.0%) for urban areas. Therefore, it is concluded that parasite exposure starts in the first years of life in urban areas and that disordered urban area expansion may cause an increase in exposure to the different strains of T. gondii present in the Amazon.

Serological and molecular detection of Toxoplasma gondii in farm-reared ostriches (Struthio camelus) in the Czech Republic

Toxoplasmosis is a globally spread disease, affecting humans and many animal species, including birds. Antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii were detected in ostriches from South and North America, Africa and Asia. Except for one study from Spain, there is a lack of information about T. gondii seroprevalence in ostriches from Europe. For this reason, the aim of the study was to detect antibodies to T. gondii in farm-reared ostriches from the Czech Republic. Serum samples of 409 ostriches (Struthio camelus), collected at 9 farms were tested by Latex agglutination test. Antibodies to T. gondii were detected in 149 (36%) birds with a statistical difference for individual farms (8%–71%, p = 0.0121), and regions (8%–65%, p = 0.002). Seropositivity did not statistically differ (p > 0.05) in size of farms (50% and 35% on small and large farms, respectively), sex of birds (38% and 35% in males and females, respectively), season and year of collection. Tissue samples (brain, heart, and pectoral muscle) of 105 birds were also tested by PCR to detect T. gondii DNA. The parasite T. gondii was detected in the brain and heart of one seronegative ostrich (1%) from a small farm. Based on our results, we can assume that ostriches may present high risk of toxoplasmosis for humans through consumption of raw or undercooked ostrich meat and even seronegative individuals could harbor T. gondii in their tissues. To our knowledge, this is the first serological detection of T. gondii in ostriches in the Czech Republic, and the first PCR detection in Europe.