Toxoplasma gondii antibody in pregnant women with and without HIV infection.

ABSTRACT

One thousand two hundred pregnant women were examined for Toxoplasma gondii antibody with the objective of identifying the prevalence and risk factors of the disease. By using Sabin-Feldman Dye test, the prevalence of IgG to Toxoplasma gondii was 13.2%. In this study 19 cases (1.6%) were anti-HIV seropositive. Between HIV-seropositive and HIV-seronegative pregnant women, antibody rates to T. gondii were 21.1% and 13.1% respectively, however, the statistical comparison could not be done due to the very few subjects in the former group (n=4). Concerning the risk factors, among those who had no cat in their house, the prevalence of T. gondii antibody were significantly different between under-cooked and properly-cooked meat consumers (19.5%; and 9.6%; odds ratio=2.28, 95% confidence interval). And when under-cooked meat consumers were excluded, the antibody to T. gondii between two groups (having and not-having cat in the house) were also found the significantly different (31.8% and 19.3%; odd ratio=1.96, 95% confidence interval). In conclusion, consuming under-cooked meat and having a cat in the house, both are risk factors of transmission of toxoplasmosis. Further study with more subjects in HIV-infected pregnant women who had antibody to T. gondii, will be helpful for confirmation of the difference with respect to the non HIV-infected group.