Prevalence of food-borne Toxoplasma in pregnant women population of Urmia, Iran

Background: Toxoplasmosis is one of the most prevalent parasitic infections among humans and animals which caused by Toxoplasma gondii. This study was carried out to detection and identification of T. gondii in pregnant women population of Urmia, Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was done from August 2015 to March 2016. Totally, 620 pregnant women referred to the urban and rural healthcare centers of Urmia were studied. IgG and IgM specific for T. gondii were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The demographic and risk factors data were collected by questionnaires. All included women completed the consent letter of agreement. The identification of T. gondii was performed using nested Polymerase Chain Reaction. The statistical analysis was done using SPSS 16.0. Results: Out of 620 pregnant women, 114 (18.4%) had specific IgG and three (0.5%) had specific IgM for T. gondii. Statistical analysis showed significant relation between the IgG level and age (p<0.05). We did not find any significant relation (p>0.05) between the level of T. gondii specific antibodies with career, education, and vegetable and meat consumption habits. Molecular identification of T. gondii showed type I in isolates obtained from three newborns of IgM-positive mothers. Conclusion: In order to prevent of the disease in newborns, screening of pregnant women and healthcare education are suggested.