| Summary: | M.Sc.(Med.), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand === Toxoplasmosis is an infection of vertebrates caused by the obligate intracellular
protozoan parasite, Toxoplasma gondii. It is one of the most common parasitic
diseases of humans, infecting approximately one third of the world’s population. It is
a significant cause of congenital disease and an important opportunistic pathogen
which has become an increasing problem worldwide due to the AIDS epidemic. There
is limited historical information about the disease in South Africa. More knowledge is
needed at a regional level to properly consider solutions aimed at reducing the risk for
this disease. The seroprevalence of T. gondii in samples of selected populations at
risk, namely HIV-positive individuals and a more general population sample biased
towards pregnant women, was therefore investigated and found to be 9.8% (37/376)
and 6.4% (32/497) in the respective samples. The Pastorex Toxo latex agglutination
test was evaluated and found to be a cheap, reliable method to screen for T. gondii
exposure. PCR-based diagnostics were developed for direct diagnosis on tissue
samples. Rodent T. gondii infection prevalence was investigated, but did not yield any
positive results. This study helped to answer questions relating to the seroprevalence
and diagnosis of T. gondii in South Africa. Many questions still remain to be
answered, however to fully understand the impact of this parasite in our country.
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