Seroepidemiology of Toxoplasmosis in Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Clinics at the Center for Maternal and Child Health Care in Daloa in Ivory Coast

Background: Serological tests remain the basis of toxoplasmosis diagnosis since direct detection of Toxoplasma gondii by microscopy is less sensitive and PCR is inaccessible for routine screening. Unfortunately, serological screening in pregnant women for T. gondii-specific antibodies is not mandatory in the assessment of antenatal care in Ivory Coast. Furthermore the latest data published are about a decade.
Aim: To determine the seroprevalence in relation with certain risk factors and discuss epidemiological issue of different patterns seen among pregnant women in Daloa, in Ivory Coast.
Study Design and Setting: This is a prospective study. Pregnant women attending antenatal care clinics in maternal and child health care center were screened for IgG and IgM antibodies against T. gondii from February to August 2014.
Results: Out of 385 women, 113 (29.35%) were in their first pregnancy and the average age was 26 years with 14 and 47 years of age respectively for the youngest and the oldest mother. A hundred and sixty five (42.85%) of the women had ever been in contact with cats and 305 (79.22%) had ever eaten raw vegetables. 108 (28.05%) out of 385 women were in the third trimester of pregnancy.
226 out of 385 sera (58.70%) had positive IgG and all sera were tested negative for IgM. The remaining sera 159 (41.3%) had no IgG or IgM. The seroprevalence of IgG was correlated to the presence of cats in the household (P<0.001) and age group (P<0.05), whereas no significant association was observed with the consumption of raw vegetables, education and the type of housing. Out of the 159 sera tested negative, 45 (28.3%) were collected in the third trimester of pregnancy.
Conclusion: Our study shows that the prevalence of toxoplasmosis among women of reproductive age, particularly pregnant women is not insignificant in Ivory Coast and deserves more attention from the health officials.