Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence in the United States 2009-2010 and comparison with the past two decades

• Published in: The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene Vol. 90; no. 6; pp. 1135 - 1139
• Main Authors: Jones, Jeffrey L, Kruszon-Moran, Deanna, Rivera, Hilda N, Price, Courtney, Wilkins, Patricia P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 01.06.2014
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Antibodies, Protozoan - blood; Child; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Immunoglobulin G - blood; Male; Middle Aged; Nutrition Surveys; Prevalence; Risk Factors; Seroepidemiologic Studies; Toxoplasma - immunology; Toxoplasma - isolation & purification; Toxoplasma gondii; Toxoplasmosis - epidemiology; Toxoplasmosis - parasitology; United States - epidemiology; Young Adult; United States; USA
• ISSN: 0002-9637; 1476-1645
• DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.14-0013

Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous parasite that can cause neurologic and ocular disease. We tested sera from 7,072 people ≥ 6 years of age in the 2009-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) for immunoglobulin G antibodies and compared these results with two previous NHANES studies. The overall T. gondii antibody seroprevalence among persons ≥ 6 years of age in 2009-2010 was 13.2% (95% confidence limit [CL] 11.8%, 14.5%) and age-adjusted seroprevalence was 12.4% (95% CL 11.1%, 13.7%); age-adjusted seroprevalence among women 15-44 years of age was 9.1% (95% CL 7.2%, 11.1%). In U.S. born persons 12-49 years of age, the age-adjusted T. gondii seroprevalence decreased from 14.1% (95% CL 12.7%, 15.5%) in NHANES III (1988-1994) to 9.0% (95% CL 7.6%, 10.5%) in NHANES 1999-2004 to 6.7% (95% CL 5.3%, 8.2%) in NHANES 2009-2010 (P < 0.001 linear trend). Although T. gondii antibody presence is still relatively common, the prevalence in the United States has continued to decline.