[Analyais of infection and related factors among special population in Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province].

OBJECTIVE

To understand the prevalence of infection and related factors among special population in Changzhou City, so as to provide the evidence for formulating toxoplasmosis prevention measures.

METHODS

The venous blood was collected from participants in Changzhou City for detecting IgG and IgM antibodies against by ELISA; and an epidemiological questionnaire investigation was also conducted.

RESULTS

Among the total 400 respondents detected, the prevalence of infection was 15.0% and the positive rates of IgG and IgM were 15.0% and 0.8%, respectively. The infection rates of pregnant women, HIV/AIDS patients, patients with neoplasia, and livestock and poultry breeding and processing workers were 11.0%, 11.0%, 24.0% and 14.0%, respectively. As the age increased, the infection rate of showed an upward trend, with the highest infection rate (21.6%) among the group of respondents aged above 50 years. The infection rates of groups with different education levels were statistically different ( = 11.443, < 0.05), and there was a trend that the infection rate decreased with the increase of education level. The prevalence of infection in pregnant women was not significantly associated with the number of pregnancies and gestational age. The infection rate of in the live-stock and poultry breeding and processing workers increased with the length of their working years.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of infection among the special population in Changzhou City is high. Therefore, it is necessary to enhance the health education on the knowledge and information of prevention and control of toxoplasmosis, and to improve the awareness of personal protection, the hygiene practices and diet habits. In addition, more attention should be paid to monitoring in the special population.