ABSTRACT
Background: Toxoplasmosis causes serious economic losses in livestock. Congenital transmission can occur in pregnant women, commonly with serious consequences.Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed to screen for the absence or presence of anti-T. gondii IgM or IgG antibodies and explore associated risk factors in pregnant women (n=261) that attended antenatal clinics in selected hospitals in Benue state, Nigeria. Blood samples were subjected to enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Information on sociodemographic data and possible risk factors were obtained using a structured questionnaire.Results: Out of 261 pregnant women, 19 (7.3%) and 108 (41.1%) were seropositive for anti-T. gondii IgM and IgG respectively. Comparison of IgM and IgG results suggested that 4.4% presented evidence of possible primary infection, 38.7% previous exposure, 2.8% possible reactivated or chronic infections and 51.8% were susceptible to T. gondii infection. The nature of women’s housing was significantly associated with anti-T. gondii IgM seropositivity (p <0.05). Pregnant women that lived in mud houses with thatched roofs were three times more likely to be seropositive than those who lived in concrete/brick houses with aluminium/zinc roofs (OR=3.123, 95% CI:1.027, 9.495). The study also showed that 17.7% of apparent infections were attributable to the nature of housing. More than half of the women sampled were at risk of contracting primary toxoplasmosis.Conclusion: Screening for anti- T. gondii antibodies during antenatal care is advocated in order to detect affected women so that appropriate management strategies can be implemented.
ABSTRACT
Coccidial parasites including Cryptosporidium parvum, Cyclospora cayetanensis, Neospora caninum, Toxoplasma gondii and the Eimeria species can cause severe disease of medical and veterinary importance. As many as one-third of the human population may carry T. gondii infection, and Eimeria are thought to cost the global poultry production industry in excess of US$2 billion per annum. Despite their significance, effective vaccines are scarce and have been confined to the veterinary field. As sequencing and genotyping technologies continue to develop, genetic mapping remains a valuable tool for the identification of genes that underlie phenotypic traits of interest and the assembly of contiguous genome sequences. For the coccidian, cross-fertilization still requires in vivo infection, a feature of their life cycle which limits the use of genetic mapping strategies. Importantly, the development of population-based approaches has now removed the need to isolate clonal lines for genetic mapping of selectable traits, complementing the classical clone-based techniques. To date, four coccidial species, representing three genera, have been investigated using genetic mapping. In this review we will discuss recent progress with these species and examine the prospects for future initiatives.