Seroprevalence and potential risk factors associated with Toxoplasma gondii infection in women from Tripoli, Libya

Abstract

Abdusalam Sharef Mahmoud, Abdurrahman Omar Alarwiy, Khaled Sifaw Ganghish, Abdurrahman Alhares, Laila Sabei, Mohamed Altaesh, Mohamed Algeriany

Aims: To determine the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) in women from Aljalla Maternity and Gynaecology Hospital (AMGH) and to evaluate the association between the infection and potential risk factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at AMGH in Tripoli during the year 2012. Data on potential risk factors were collected by a structured questionnaire and results of the test. The output data of questionnaire were used to assess potential risk factors for positive outcome. All sera (n = 500) was screened against ToxoG, by using the Vidas machine automated enzyme-linked florescent immunoassay. The association between the outcome variables and its potential risk factors were screened in a multivariate analysis. A p-value < 0.05 was considered to be significant. Results: The overall seroprevalence was estimated to be 50.8% with 95% confidence interval (CI) (46.42%–55.18%). The results revealed that T. gondii infection is highly prevalent, and eating habits (consuming raw meat and/or raw vegetables or fruits) were highly significant associated in multivariable analysis. Expectedly, a significantly [odds ratio (OR):1.712; p = <0.0001] higher T. gondii seroprevalence of 78.63% (95 CI: 71.21%–86.06%) with ownership cat, as compared to 42.30% (95% CI: 37.35%–47.25%) of not keeping cats. The seroprevalence of 67.3% (95% CI: 61.35%–72.75%) and 33.2% (95% CI: 27.09%–39.02%) among individual living in the villages and cities, respectively, was a significant risk factor in multivariable analysis (OR: 1.482; p = <0.0001). Conclusion: Our results show a high seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in women seen in the health centre studied. Any future studies should consider a large number of population of different age groups per nation and both sexes to provide more reliable estimates of national level variations and to assess national level risk factors, and it is necessary to develop preventive actions among the population.