Article Text
Abstract
Background Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan infecting up to one-third of the world's population, constituting a life threat if transmitted from mother to child during pregnancy. In Portugal, there is a lack of knowledge of the current epidemiological situation, as the unique toxoplasmosis National Serological Survey was performed in 1979/1980.
Methods We studied the seroprevalence trends in the Portuguese general population over the past 3 decades, by assessing chronological spread cross-sectional studies, with special focus on women of childbearing age, by age group, region and gender.
Results The T. gondii overall seroprevalence decreased from 47% in 1979/1980 to 22% (95% CI 20% to 24%) in 2013. Generally, we observed that the prevalence of T. gondii IgG increased significantly with age and it decreased over time, both in the general population and in the childbearing women (18% prevalence in 2013).
Conclusions The scenario observed for the latter indicates that more than 80% of childbearing women are susceptible to primary infection yielding a risk of congenital toxoplasmosis and respective sequelae. Since there is no vaccine to prevent human toxoplasmosis, the improvement of primary prevention constitutes a major tool to avoid infection in such susceptible groups.
- EPIDEMIOLOGY
- INFECTIOUS DISEASES
- PARASITOLOGY
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Footnotes
Contributors MJG, BN and JPG developed the study design and were responsible for data management. BN and SS performed the statistical analysis. MJG, IF, AV and SM performed the experimental assays. CC provided the sera samples. MJG and JPG wrote the manuscript.
Funding The Portuguese National Institute of Health funded this study.
Competing interests None declared.
Ethics approval This study was approved by the ethical committee of the Portuguese National Institute of Health.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
Data sharing statement No additional data are available.