Gestational and Neonatal Toxoplasmosis: Regional Seroprevalence in the United Arab Emirates

• Published in: European journal of epidemiology Vol. 13; no. 5; pp. 567 - 571
• Main Authors: Dar, F. K., Alkarmi, T., Uduman, S., Abdulrazzaq, Y., Grundsell, H., Hughes, P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Kluwer Academic Publishers 01.07.1997; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Antibodies; Antibodies, Protozoan - blood; Antigens; Biological and medical sciences; Births; Blood; Congenital diseases; Congenital toxoplasmosis; Delivery, Obstetric; Diseases of mother, fetus and pregnancy; Epidemiology; Female; Fetal Blood - immunology; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; Humans; Immunoglobulin G - analysis; Immunoglobulin M - analysis; Infant, Newborn; Infants; Infections; Maternal-Fetal Exchange; Medical sciences; Mothers; Predisposing factors; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic - epidemiology; Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic - immunology; Pregnancy. Fetus. Placenta; Prevalence; Protozoa; Questionnaires; Risk Factors; Seroepidemiologic Studies; Serology; Test systems; Toxoplasmosis; Toxoplasmosis - epidemiology; Toxoplasmosis - immunology; Toxoplasmosis, Congenital - immunology; Tropical medicine; United Arab Emirates - epidemiology; Womens health; Asia; United Emirates; United Arab Emirates; Kuwait; Human; Protozoa; Protozoal disease; Neonatal; Prevalence; Pregnancy disorders; Antibody; IgG; Serology; Parasitosis; Epidemiology; IgM; Blood; Infection; Pregnancy; Toxoplasma; Newborn diseases; Newborn; Toxoplasmosis; Risk factor; Umbilical cord; Woman; Sporozoa; Public health
• ISSN: 0393-2990; 1573-7284
• DOI: 10.1023/A:1007392703037

Paired maternal/cord blood samples were tested for anti-Toxoplasma IgG or IgM antibodies using Biomerieux Micro-EIA2 IgG and IgM test kits. Of the 1503 women tested at the time of delivery, 344 (22.9%) were IgG seropositive. Three hundred and one maternal sera, including 265 that were IgG positive, were tested for IgM antibodies: 47 were found positive, indicating a gestational toxoplasmosis incidence of 31 per 1000 pregnancies over one year. All but one of the IgM positive maternal sera had tested IgG positive. Cord blood IgG seropositivity was similar to the maternal rate but 18 of the 301 babies had significant levels of anti-Taxoplasma IgM antibodies. As these 18 babies were all born to mothers also positive for IgM antibodies, the calculated rate of transplacental transmission was 38.3% with the estimated prevalence of congenital toxoplasmosis of 12 per 1000 live births. There was no statistically significant positive correlation between maternal seroprevalence and such well-known risk factors as consumption of raw meat and milk, or proximity of cats and other animals. One baby was born with the classical stigmata of congenital toxoplasmosis.