Serological study of toxoplasmosis among pregnant women of Nikshahr in 2012

Toxoplasmosis is one of the most prevalent zoonotic diseases worldwide that occurs following consumption of raw or half-cooked or through contamination with cat feces infected with toxoplasma gondii, and also by congenital transmission through the placenta to the fetus. In pregnant women, toxoplasmosis is mostly without any symptoms and usually occurs in warm climatic conditions more than cool and mountainous climates. The serological techniques are most important methods for diagnosis. This study is a descriptive cross - sectional study investigating the IgG and IgM antibody levels against toxoplasma over 185 primigravida pregnant women from Nikshahr in 2012, using ELISA method. About 10.3% cases were IgG positive and in 0.55% of cases IgG and IgM were both positive for toxoplasmosis. Among participants 98.9% had history of consuming raw vegetables, 9.7% consuming half-cooked meat, 78.9% used no disinfectant materials for washing vegetables, 5.4% had the history of contacting cats and 16.8% had consumed contaminated water. Due to the low level of safety and high risks of infection during pregnancy and its complications, a general public education for preventing the spread of infection is important.