Abstract

FERNANDEZ FERNANDEZ, José; AGUIAR, Becky  and  BORGES, Ivonne. Seroepidemiology of toxoplasmosis in people at el vinedo, Maracay, Aragua State.. Comunidad y Salud [online]. 2015, vol.13, n.1, pp.23-28. ISSN 1690-3293.

Toxoplasmosis is a disease parasite which can infect human and animals. The infection may be serious if is transmitted to the fetus during pregnancy, is considered among the global major zoonotic parasitic diseases and the third leading cause of food-related deaths in the USA. It is caused by Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii), an Apicomplexa protozoan parasite, with cats as the definitive host, and warm-blooded animals as intermediate hosts. The goal of this study was to determine the prevalence of anti- Toxoplasma gondii total antibodies in people at El Vinedo, Maracay, Aragua state and if there was a relationship between risk factors and infection. Sera of 363 people were analyzed by Indirect Haemagglutination Test (IHA); a questionnaire survey was administered for all study participants to gather information on risk factors. The study revealed that anti- T. gondii total antibodies were detected in 49.9% (181/363) of the samples. There were no significant differences (p>0.05) by age, gender effects and the seroprevalence. The risks of exposure to toxoplasmosis resulted from exposure to cats, food not properly washed and the consumption of undercooked meat.

Keywords : Toxoplasma gondii; toxoplasmosis; parasitic infection.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )