Seroprevalence and risk factors for Toxoplasma gondii infection among pregnant women at Debre Markos Referral Hospital, northwest Ethiopia

Background To assess the seroprevalence and risk factors of Toxoplasma gondii infection in pregnant women at the Debre Markos Referral Hospital, northwest Ethiopia. Methods A facility-based cross-sectional study was undertaken among pregnant women from March 2020 to May 2021. Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected from randomly selected participants. Five millilitres of blood was collected and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit was used to test for T. gondii immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies. A logistic regression model was computed to identify the risk factors. The adjusted odds ratio (aOR) was estimated along with the 95% confidence interval (CI). A statistically significant association was defined as pResults T. gondii IgG antibody positivity was found in 38.8% (n=132) of 340 pregnant women. Contact with cats (AOR 2.5 [95% CI 1.5 to 4.2]), eating raw/undercooked meat (AOR 5.7 [95% CI 3.2 to 10.3]), consuming unwashed vegetables (AOR 4.1 [95% CI 2.1 to 8.0]), a history of abortion (AOR 1.9 [95% CI 1.1 to 3.3]) and drinking water sources (AOR 2.5 [95% CI 1.2 to 5.2]) demonstrated a statistically significant association with T. gondii infection. Conclusions Toxoplasmosis was found to be fairly common in pregnant mothers. Proper cat excreta disposal, not eating raw/undercooked meat, maintaining hand cleanliness and following environmental sanitation protocols could be important to decrease T. gondii infection.

Automated summary

The seroprevalence and risk factors of Toxoplasma gondii infection in pregnant women at a hospital in northwest Ethiopia were assessed. A cross-sectional study was conducted from March 2020 to May 2021, collecting sociodemographic and clinical data from randomly selected participants. The study found that contact with cats, eating raw/undercooked meat, consuming unwashed vegetables, a history of abortion, and drinking water sources were significantly associated with T. gondii infection. It concluded that proper cat excreta disposal, avoiding raw/undercooked meat, maintaining hand cleanliness, and following environmental sanitation protocols are important in preventing T. gondii infection in pregnant women.