Epidemiological factors associated with seropositivity for toxoplasmosis in pregnant women from Gurupi, State of Tocantins, Brazil

Abstract

Introduction: Dogs play a primary role in the zoonotic cycle of visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Therefore, the accurate diagnosis of infected dogs, primarily asymptomatic dogs, is crucial to the effi ciency of VL control programs. Methods: We investigated the agreement of four diagnostic tests for canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL): parasite detection, either after myeloculture or by direct microscopic examination of tissue imprints; kinetoplast-deoxyribonucleic acid-polymerase chain reaction (kDNA-PCR); and an immunochromatographic test (ICT). An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and an indirect immunofl uorescence test (IFAT), both of which were adopted as part of the screening-culling program in Brazil, were used as reference tests. Our sample set consisted of 44 seropositive dogs, 25 of which were clinically asymptomatic and 19 were symptomatic for CVL according to ELISA-IFAT. Results: The highest and lowest test co-positivities were observed for ICT (77.3%) and myeloculture (58.1%), respectively. When analyzed together, the overall percentage of co-positive tests was signifi cantly higher for the symptomatic group compared to the asymptomatic group. However, only ICT was signifi cantly different based on the results of a separate analysis per test for each group of dogs. The majority (93.8%) of animals exhibited at least one positive test result, with an average of 2.66 positive tests per dog. Half of the symptomatic dogs tested positive for all four tests administered. Conclusions:The variability between test results reinforces the need for more effi cient and reliable methods to accurately diagnose canine VL, particularly in asymptomatic animals.

Toxoplasma gondii infection among pregnant women in Yemen: Factors associated with high seroprevalence

“…Not washing kitchen knives after cutting raw meat and not washing vegetables before eating were significantly associated with the seroprevalence of T. gondii in the bivariate analysis. These findings are in agreement with recent studies [19,21,24,25]. The use of unwashed kitchen knives and eating unwashed vegetables may play a significant role in disease transmission [25,26].…”

Risk factors for Toxoplasma gondii infection among pregnant women from the State of Tocantins, Northern Brazil

“…As a similar lack of association was observed regarding the origin of samples (i.e., rural or urban areas), it is probable that the number of samples analyzed was small and lacked power to detect differences in infection rates across these parameters. However, in contrast to our results, the results of a previous study conducted in the municipality of Gurupi in the State of Tocantins indicated that a high prevalence of T. gondii infection in pregnant women was found to be related to age, as well as contact with raw meat, in natura milk intake, education level, working outside the home, and poor hygienic habits during meal preparation (12) .…”

“…The seroprevalence (71%) detected herein was within the range of positivity previously reported in pregnant Brazilian women (from 31% to 91.6%) (12) . It is known that seroprevalence might Trop 48(6):773-775, Nov-Dec, 2015 vary widely in different parts of the world and may be infl uenced by various environmental and cultural factors (1) .…”

“…In general, the lowest prevalence has been reported in North America, whereas in Latin America, and particularly in countries such as Brazil, Colombia, and Cuba the prevalence of infection might reach 70% (10) (11) . The wide prevalence range is due to the different risk factors, which might infl uence the likelihood of infection by T. gondii in a given population (e.g., ingestion of undercooked meat, unpasteurized milk, or educational level) (5) (12) .…”

Prevalência de toxoplasmose em gestantes atendidas em dois centros de referência em uma cidade do Nordeste, Brasil

“…O consumo de carne crua esteve associado a surtos de toxoplasmose em Anápolis e Goiânia, Goiás, em 2006, onde os cistos foram encontrados na musculatura (carne) de bovinos 36 . Os estudos realizados no Brasil demonstraram que o consumo de carne crua ou mal passada é um fator de risco significativo para a infecção ocasionada pelo T. gondii 21,22,33 . Esse dado também foi descrito em outros países, como relatado no Japão 24 .…”