Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma Gondii IgG and IgM Antibodies and Risk Factors Among Pregnant Women in Pankshin Central, Plateau State, Nigeria

Background:  Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic disease caused by an obligate intracellular parasite called Toxoplasma gondii. Severe complications have been found associated with the disease in pregnancy such as stillbirth, seizures, microcephaly etc. yet, little or no attention has been given to the disease.
Aim: The aim of this research is to determine the seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in pregnant women and the risk factors associated with the disease in Pankshin.
Methods: Blood samples were collected from 182 pregnant women who consented at the Pankshin General Hospital. Detection of Toxoplasma gondii IgM and IgG antibodies was carried out using commercially prepared Human Tox-IgG/IgM Cassettes (Innovation Biotech Beijing Co Ltd, China) according to prescribed protocol. Structured questionnaires specifically design for this study was used to obtain socio-demographic data and the associated risk factors.
Results: A total number of one hundred and eighty-two (182) pregnant women were examined, out of which thirty-four (34) were sero-positive for toxoplasma gondii antibodies while one hundred and forty-eight (148) were sero-negative. Of the 34 subjects (18.6%) that were sero-positive to T. gondii antibodies, 15(8.2%) were sero-positive to IgM, 14(7.7%) were sero-positive to IgG and 5(2.7%) were sero-positive to both IgM + IgG. Seropositivity to T. gondii increased with low educational level and increased trimester. Subjects who were more at risk of toxoplasmosis were those who keep cats, taste meat while cooking and eat dog meat.
Conclusion: Since toxoplasmosis is prevalent among population under study, government attention should be drawn to providing specific diagnostic resources in hospital laboratories and create awareness to the general public about the disease.