ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Infection with cytomegalovirus (CMV) during pregnancy may lead to congenital disease. Very little is known about the seroepidemiology of CMV infection in pregnant women in Mexico. We sought to determine the seroprevalence and correlates of CMV infection in pregnant women in Aguascalientes City, Mexico. METHODS: Through a cross-sectional study design, 289 pregnant women were examined for anti-CMV IgG and IgM antibodies in Aguascalientes City, Mexico. A standardized questionnaire was used to obtain the socio-demographic, clinical and behavioral characteristics of the pregnant women. The association between CMV infection and the characteristics of the pregnant women was assessed by bivariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: Anti-CMV IgG antibodies were detected in 259 (89.6%) of the 289 pregnant women studied. None of the 289 pregnant women were positive for anti-CMV IgM antibodies. Seroprevalence of CMV infection was significantly lower (P = 0.03) in pregnant women with reflex impairment (5/8: 62.5%) than in those without this clinical feature (246/272: 90.4%). Seroprevalence of CMV infection was significantly higher (P = 0.03) in pregnant women with 2 - 9 pregnancies (140/150: 93.3%) than in those with only one pregnancy (119/139: 86.2%). Logistic regression analysis of socio-demographic and behavioral variables showed that seropositivity to CMV was associated with contact with children (odds ratio (OR) = 3.56; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.17 - 10.84; P = 0.02), whereas high (> 150 AU/mL) anti-CMV antibody levels were negatively associated with washing hands before eating (OR = 0.17; 95% CI: 0.05 - 0.63; P = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS: We found a high endemicity of CMV infection in pregnant women in Aguascalientes City, Mexico. Factors associated with CMV infection found in this study may be useful for an optimal planning of preventive measures against CMV exposure in pregnant women.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: We determined the seroprevalence and correlates of Toxoplasma gondii infection in pregnant women in Aguascalientes City, Mexico. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey. SETTING: Pregnant women were enrolled in the central Mexican city of Aguascalientes. PARTICIPANTS: We studied 338 pregnant women who attended prenatal care in 3 public health centres. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Women were examined for IgG/IgM antibodies to T. gondii by using commercially available enzyme immunoassays, and an avidity test. Multiple analyses were used to determine the association of T. gondii seropositivity with the characteristics of the pregnant women. RESULTS: Of the 338 pregnant women studied, 21 (6.2%) had IgG antibodies to T. gondii, and 1 (4.8%) of them was also positive for IgM antibodies to T. gondii. Avidity of IgG antibodies to T. gondii was high in the IgM-positive sample. Logistic regression analysis of sociodemographic, behavioural and housing variables showed that T. gondii seropositivity was associated with white ethnicity (OR=149.4; 95% CI 10.8 to 2054.1; p<0.01), not washing hands before eating (OR=6.41; 95% CI 1.73 to 23.6; p=0.005) and use of latrine (OR=37.6; 95% CI 4.63 to 306.31; p=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Results demonstrate that pregnant women in Aguascalientes City have a low seroprevalence of T. gondii infection. However, this low prevalence indicates that most pregnant women are at risk for a primary infection. Factors associated with T. gondii exposure found in this study, including food hygiene, may be useful to determine preventive measures against T. gondii infection and its sequelae.
