Distribution of Toxoplasma gondii IgM and IgG antibody seropositivity among age groups and gestational periods in pregnant women [version 3; peer review: 2 approved]

• Main Authors: Shahida Sadiqui, Syed Rafiq Hussain Shah, Babiker Saad Almugadam, Qismat Shakeela, Shehzad Ahmad
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: F1000 Research Ltd 2019-06-01
• Series: F1000Research
• Online Access: https://f1000research.com/articles/7-1823/v3

Background: Toxoplasmosis is a globally distributed parasitic disease. The present study aimed to estimate the prevalence and geographic distribution of toxoplasmosis as well as determine the percentage of toxoplasmosis-associated IgM and IgG seropositivity among different age groups. In addition, it aimed to estimate the proportion of toxoplasma IgM seropositivity among pregnancy trimesters. Methods: A total of 500 pregnant women were included in this study. From each participant, a 5-ml venous blood sample was collected and centrifuged to obtain serum that was tested for Toxoplasma gondii IgM and IgG antibodies using immunochromatographic testing and ELISA. Results: The overall seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis was 24.8%. Out of the total of 500 participants, only 8% had a serological marker of acute toxoplasmosis). There is a statistically significant difference in the seroprevalence of disease among the study areas. Amongst positive cases of every trimester, 54.34% of first trimester positive cases had a serologic marker for acute toxoplasmosis.  Conclusions: In this study, there is a high prevalence of toxoplasmosis. Therefore, it is necessary to test every pregnant woman for toxoplasmosis and distinguish the type of infection, as well as the conduction of public health education programs to generate the awareness.