Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and Associated Risk Factors among Pregnant Women Attending Hospital Centers in Penka-Michel, Cameroon

Aims: This study was carried out to investigate the epidemiology of toxoplasmosis and associated predisposing risk factors in a rural setting of Cameroon.

Methodology: The survey took place from April to July 2014 at the District Medical Center of Balessing, the District Medical Center of Bansoa chefferie, the District Medical Center of Eglise Evangelique du Cameroun and the District Hopital of Penka-Michel, 4 reference hospitals in Penka-Michel, a sub-division in the west region of Cameroon.Serum samples were collected from 643 pregnant women attending the ante natal clinic after obtaining informed consent. Toxoplasma gondii-specific IgG antibodies were detected by indirect solid-phase enzyme immunoassay (EIA), immunoComb® Toxo lgG. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information on sociodemographic parameters and predisposing risk factors for toxoplamosis from each patient. The data were analyzed using GraphPad prism version 5.03.

Results: The age range of the women was 15-50 years with a mean of 27.1 ± 2.51 years. The mean gestational age was 6.22 ±1.93 months with, 9.8%, 39.5% and 50.7% of the women in the first, second and third trimester respectively. The overall IgG seroprevalence was 35.77% (230/643) of our sample population. There was a statistically significant association between Toxo IgG seropositivity status, educational level, professional status, had knowledge on toxoplamosis and frequency of raw meat consumption with a significantly higher risk of being seropositive amongst farmers and housewives (X2 =13.28; P = .0100), among women with university level of education (X2 =11.77; P = .0082), among women with knowledge on toxoplamosis (P = .0001) and those who frequently consume raw meat (P = .0426).

Conclusion: Our data found out a high risk of toxoplasmosis in pregnant women, and a general screening program for toxoplasmosis in pregnancy in Cameroon should be done.