Seroprevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Toxoplasma gondii Among Pregnant Women in Southwest Iran

Abstract

Background: Acute Toxoplasma gondii infection during pregnancy period can cause congenital toxoplasmosis. The aim of this study was to assess the seroprevalence rate of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies against T. gondii infection during pregnancy and the associated risk factors in southwest Iran. Methods: This study was performed on 88 pregnant women from October to December 2019 in Khorramshahr County, Khuzestan province, Iran. Anti-T. gondii IgG and IgM antibodies were tested through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Results: Following serological assays, 38.63% (34/88) and 2.27% (2/88) serum samples were positive for IgG and IgM antibodies, respectively. Also, a statistically significant association was observed between IgG seroprevalence and drinking of unpurified water (P = 0.015). Conclusions: The serological evidence revealed that pregnant women of southwest Iran had moderate exposure to T. gondii parasite. Since the risk of acquiring acute toxoplasmosis in pregnant women is clinically important, we highly recommend regular screening tests for T. gondii infection during pregnancy period.

Microscopic and ELISA Based Detection of Toxoplasma and its Associated Risk Factors in Pregnant Women of District Mardan

“…Based on ELISA results, it was found that pregnant women who had contact with soil had much higher rates of infection than those who had none. This conclusion was consistent with the results of several studies undertaken in China, France, Iran, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Saudi Arabia, which revealed that exposure to soil poses a significant risk to pregnant women [24,[33][34][35][36][37] .…”