RESUMEN
Rubella infections acquired postnatally are usually mild, but maternal infection during pregnancy is associated with considerable risk of intrauterine fetal infection with multi-system damage.Detection of anti-rubella IgM specific antibodies among pregnant and childbearing women in Baquba city and to explore the effects of certain demographic factors. The present study was conducted in Baquba-Diyala province during the period from April/2007 to September/2008. Ninety pregnant women were chosen from those attending the primary health care centers in Baquba. They include 30 [33.3%] pregnant women who had previous abortions with a mean age 27.2 +/- 5.3 years, and 60 [66, 7%] pregnant women without previous abortion with mean age 23.7+/- 5.1 years. Additionally, 94 non-pregnant childbearing women were enrolled as a control group. Of those, 37[39.4%] had previous abortions with mean age 33.5 +/- 7.8 years, and 57 [60.6%] without abortion, the mean age was 30.7+/-7.8 years. Certain demographic factors were collected by personal interview. Anti-rubella IgM specific antibody was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay [ELISA]. Data were statistically analyzed using SPSS computer assisted processing. P value of < 0.05 was considered significant. The results revealed that 3[5%] of pregnant women without previous abortion and 8[26.7%] of pregnant women who had previous abortions were seropositive for anti-rubella IgM antibody. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant [p= 0.003].Whereas, the IgM seropositivity was insignificantly higher in childbearing women without previous abortion compared to childbearing women who had previous abortions [4.6% vs 16.2%], [p=0.33]. Furthermore, the IgM seropositivity among childbearing women without previous abortion was significantly higher compared to pregnant women without previous abortion [24.6% vs 5%], [p=0.003].The presence of life births, time of gestation, and the levels of education significantly affect the seropositivity rate of IgM. Prenatal screening for anti-rubella IgM antibody is an important tool to identify active infection and to provide obstetric management to avoid the risk of congenital rubella syndrome