Prevalence of IgG antibodies specific to Toxoplasma gondii among blood donors in Recife, Northeast Brazil

Abstract

SUMMARYA serological survey of Toxoplasma gondii infection in blood donors was carried out in order to identify seroprevalence in Recife, Brazil. Sera from 160 individuals (119 male and 41 female) were evaluated by using a Toxoplasma IgG-antibody enzyme immunoassay (Denka Seiken Co., LTD., Tokyo, Japan). The seropositive percentual for males (79.0%) showed to be higher (p ≤ 0.05) than for females (63.4%). This percentage increases with age, ranging from 18.2% to 92.6% for individuals aging under 20 and 40-50 years old, respectively. For women of childbearing age (18-40 years) it was found a prevalence of 51.6%. KEYWORDS:Toxoplasmosis; Seroepidemiology; Human; Recife, Brazil.Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by the ubiquitous protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii 5 . Most T. gondii infections among humans occur by ingestion of tissue cysts from infected meat or oocysts from soil, or by congenital transmission through the placenta 3,10 . According to NETO et al. 14 , Brazil presents the highest prevalence of congenital toxoplasmosis reported so far. Blood samples (140,914) from all over the country were tested for IgM-class antibodies and 47 cases confirmed. This finding suggests a prevalence of 1 per 3,000 births.Although toxoplasmosis is a worldwide dispersed infection, seropositivity levels vary widely among different regions of the globe 7 . The prevalence rates change according to socio-cultural habits, geographic factors, climate and transmission route, and typically rise with age 4,7 . In Brazil, prevalence studies have been carried out, mainly in the Amazon and southeast regions during the 70-80's. Seroprevalence ranged from 40-80%, with increasing levels according to age, low socioeconomic status, rural dwelling and raw meat cooking practices 16 .Serological surveys indicate that about 80% of all primary infections are asymptomatic, due to the immune system effectiveness, but variable levels of the disease can affect immunocompromised individuals 4 . The epidemic of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has created an expanding population of susceptible individuals. Usually, people suffering from both AIDS and toxoplasmosis have been exposed to the Toxoplasma parasite earlier in life and the HIV infection simply allowed the Toxoplasma parasite to grow unchecked. The concomitant occurrences should be considered by public health policies especially in those countries with high toxoplasmosis prevalence where AIDS is concurrent with economic and public health problems 15 . GUIMARÃES9 estimated the annual incidence of reported AIDSassociated opportunistic infections among AIDS cases at the national level in Brazil from 1980 through May 1999. The overall cumulative incidence rates/100 reported AIDS cases were: candidiasis -59, tuberculosis -26, Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia -23, neurotoxoplasmosis -15, Kaposi sarcoma -5, cryptococcal meningitis -4 and protozoa infections -4.In 2000, Recife occupied the 11 th position in number of AIDS cases reported (211) and 56 th in number of cases/100,000 inhabitants ...

Non-association between anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies and ABO blood group system

“…These observations agree with previous studies that indicate a percentage of IgG anti-T. gondii antibodies in the Brazilian population (20,(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30).…”

Seropositivity rates for toxoplasmosis, rubella, syphilis, cytomegalovirus, hepatitis and HIV among pregnant women receiving care at a public health service, São Paulo state, Brazil

“…6 In the present study more than 60% of the pregnant women tested positive for IgG anti-T. gondii antibodies, which is in agreement with other studies carried out in Brazil reporting seropositivity rates ranging from 22.8% to 71.5%. [7][8][9][10][11][12] Two recent studies performed in the northwest region of São Paulo State found rates similar to those reported in the current study. 5,13 Pregnant women at risk of congenital transmission of toxoplasmosis were younger than those without risk.…”

Seroprevalence and Influence of Torch Infections in High Risk Pregnant Women: A Large Study from South India

“…The factors like nutritional status, sociocultural habits, geographic climatic variations, transmission route, and age will influence the toxoplasmosis seropositivity [31]. One-third of the world's population is affected by the infection caused by this parasite [32,33].…”