Toxoplasma Gondii Seroprevalence Among Pregnant Women in Baghdad During 2021-2022

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic infection caused by Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite that causes a variety of clinical symptoms in humans. It is a facultatively heteroxenous, polyxenous protozoon that has evolved several potential transmission routes within and between the host species. Infections caused by Toxoplasma gondii are more frequently seen in immunocompetent patients. The infection acquired by the mother during pregnancy puts the fetus at risk of congenital infection due to the parasite transmission across the placenta. The severity and frequency of infection are determined by the gestational age of the mother at the time of infection. The objective of this research was to study the toxoplasmosis infection in women, and to estimate the relationship between T. gondii infection and parameters including abortion time, chronic diseases, and age.

The case-control study was conducted on 50 healthy women (pregnant and non-pregnant) as control group and 135 women with abortion experience as case group at the Women's and Children's Hospital in Baghdad, Iraq from December 2021 until March 2022. The questionnaire was used to gather information from the women. The participant's name, age, gestational age, address, medications taken, medical history, previous abortions, and the date the sample was taken were all included. Under sterile conditions, five milliliters of the venous blood were drawn from each woman. The ELISA test was used to determine the level of anti-T. gondii IgM and IgG antibodies in serum samples.

The anti-Toxoplasma IgM and IgG antibodies were found to be positive in 51% and 8% of the cases, respectively. However, the anti-T. gondii antibodies seroprevalence was 59% in women who had abortion.  The healthy women had 0% for all antibodies.

Despite reporting the high rates of infection among women who had single abortions, the current study found no significant association between the percentage of infection and the number of abortions. The cause of high incidence among women who had abortion could be due to decrease in the immune system function.