Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Saray El Kobba, Cairo, Egypt.
Acta Trop. 2012 Dec;124(3):185-91. doi: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2012.08.005. Epub 2012 Aug 16.
Knowledge of the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in pregnant women would be a valuable approach for planning appropriate preventive strategies. However, no enough data currently exist as to the magnitude of T. gondii infection among pregnant women in Egypt. In view of paucity of reports on this issue, the current cross-sectional study aimed to determine the rate of T. gondii infection and maternal-fetal transmission in antenatal population in Menoufia governorate, Egypt. Out of 323 pregnant women who were screened for Toxoplasma-specific IgG and IgM antibodies with ELFA, 218 samples were IgG seropositive, of which, 9 samples were IgM seropositive. Therefore, seropositivity rates of 67.5% (95% CI: 62.39%, 72.61%), and 2.8% (95% CI: 1%, 4.6%) for IgG and IgM, respectively were found. Analysis of serological patterns revealed that a large proportion of subjects were immune to Toxoplasma infection (IgG+/IgM-), as prevalence of chronic infection was 64.7% (209 cases), and 32.5% of cases were susceptible to primary infection (IgG-/IgM-). Meanwhile, the rate of probable acute Toxoplasma infection (IgG+/IgM+) was 2.8%, with one case (0.3%) confirmed for recent infection, as she had low avidity index with positive amniotic fluid analysis with both PCR and mouse inoculation. Significant relations were seen between Toxoplasma-specific IgG and knowledge about transmission modes, consumption of milk/milk products and unwashed raw vegetable/fruit, hand hygiene, contact with soil and farm animals. In conclusion, we reported high prevalence for T. gondii infection among antenatal population in Menoufia governorate. Thus, the susceptibility for toxoplasmosis is relatively low. Sources of infection revealed herein might represent potential threats for primary infection in seronegative women. Accordingly, there is urgent need for implementation of health education programs as an appropriate approach for prevention.
了解孕妇弓形虫感染的流行情况对于规划适当的预防策略将是一种有价值的方法。然而，目前埃及孕妇弓形虫感染的严重程度尚无足够的数据。鉴于对此问题的报道很少，本横断面研究旨在确定埃及曼努菲亚省产前人群中弓形虫感染和母婴传播的发生率。在使用 ELISA 法筛查 323 名孕妇的弓形虫特异性 IgG 和 IgM 抗体时，218 份样本 IgG 呈阳性，其中 9 份 IgM 呈阳性。因此，IgG 和 IgM 的血清阳性率分别为 67.5%（95%CI：62.39%，72.61%）和 2.8%（95%CI：1%，4.6%）。血清学模式分析显示，很大一部分受试者对弓形虫感染具有免疫力（IgG+/IgM-），慢性感染的患病率为 64.7%（209 例），32.5%的病例易感染原发性感染（IgG-/IgM-）。同时，可能的急性弓形虫感染（IgG+/IgM+）的发生率为 2.8%，其中一例（0.3%）确诊为近期感染，因为她的羊水分析用 PCR 和小鼠接种均为阳性，并且亲和力指数较低。弓形虫特异性 IgG 与传播方式、牛奶/奶制品消费、未清洗的生蔬菜/水果、手部卫生、接触土壤和农场动物之间存在显著关系。总之，我们报告了曼努菲亚省产前人群中弓形虫感染的高流行率。因此，对弓形虫病的易感性相对较低。本文揭示的感染源可能代表了对血清阴性妇女原发性感染的潜在威胁。因此，迫切需要实施健康教育计划作为预防的适当方法。
