Investigation on Toxoplasma gondii infection and awareness of toxoplasmosis-related knowledge in women with poor pregnant outcomes in Wuxi City / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection and awareness of toxoplasmosis?related knowledge among women with poor pregnant outcomes in Wuxi City. Methods A total of 217 women with poor pregnant out?comes from Wuxi City during the period of January 2011 to December 2015 were randomly selected as the study subjects( a study group),while 250 women with normal pregnancy were served as controls(a control group). The sero?prevalence of T. gon?dii infection was detected by using ELISA and compared between the study and control groups. The awareness of toxoplasmosis?related knowledge was investigated by using a self?designed questionnaire and compared between the study and control groups. Results The positive rate of anti?Toxoplasma antibody was 30.88%in the study group,which was significantly higher than that (8.8%)in the control group(χ2 =36.7,P0.05). Conclusions This study demonstrates higher prevalence of T. gondii infection in women with poor pregnant out?comes than in those with normal pregnancy in Wuxi City. Considering the harm of T. gondii infection during pregnancy and the low awareness of toxoplasmosis?related knowledge in pregnant women,the health education of toxoplasmosis?related knowledge should be strengthened,especially for pregnant women,so as to reduce the prevalence of T. gondii infection among pregnant women to improve the better child?bearing and rearing level.