Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity and the associated risk factors in sheep and pregnant women in El-Minya Governorate, Egypt
| Autor: | Jeffrey J Adamovicz, Maha I. Hamed, Mostafa F. N. Abushahba, Mohamed S. Rawy, Abdelbaset Eweda Abdelbaset, Amal Sayed |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
medicine.medical_specialty
sheep 040301 veterinary sciences Veterinary medicine 030231 tropical medicine Prevalence Abortion SF1-1100 Serology 0403 veterinary science 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine Environmental health Epidemiology parasitic diseases SF600-1100 medicine Seroprevalence risk factors egypt Pregnancy General Veterinary biology business.industry Toxoplasma gondii 04 agricultural and veterinary sciences medicine.disease biology.organism_classification abortion Toxoplasmosis zoonoses Animal culture business Research Article toxoplasmosis |
| Zdroj: | Veterinary World, Vol 13, Iss 1, Pp 54-60 (2020) Veterinary World |
| ISSN: | 2231-0916 0972-8988 |
| Popis: | Background and Aim: The cosmopolite protozoan, Toxoplasma gondii, has a significant economic and medical impact. Cats traditionally play a predominant role in the disease maintenance cycle; however, humans can be infected as a result of milk and meat consumption of Toxoplasma-infected livestock. In addition, infected pregnant women, even symptomless, can pass the disease to their unborn fetus. The limited clinical records and absence of specific national educational programs in countries like Egypt underscore the need for periodic toxoplasmosis disease evaluation. Here, we identified T. gondii seroprevalence among sheep and pregnant women and the associated risk factors in El-Minya Governorate, Egypt. Materials and Methods: Using peripheral blood, we detected T. gondii-specific antibodies in 151 sheep and 96 pregnant women sera from El-Minya Governorate using latex agglutination and indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The impact of different environmental and behavioral risk factors identified with in-person interviews and serology results on acquiring toxoplasmosis was statistically analyzed. Results: The overall toxoplasmosis seroprevalence was 39.1% and 22.9% in sheep and pregnant women, respectively. Significantly higher seroprevalence was correlated with increasing sheep age and geographical location. Nonetheless, no statistical significance was found based on abortion history and pregnancy status of the examined sheep. Exposure factors important for pregnant women included pregnancy trimester, contact with cats, and the habit of eating undercooked sheep meat, which all had a statistically significant association with Toxoplasma seropositivity. Conclusion: The current study confirms increased antibodies against toxoplasmosis in both sheep and pregnant women in El-Minya Governorate and a clear association between women's age, contact with cats, and the habit of eating undercooked sheep meat and seroreactivity to T. gondii. These results strongly suggest the need for a more comprehensive epidemiological study and public health awareness education for toxoplasmosis. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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