Seroprevalence and associated risk factors of toxoplasmosis in pregnant women in Hebron district, Palestine

To measure the prevalence of toxoplasmosis, we tested 204 pregnant women for IgG and IgM antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii using an enzyme-linked immunoassay. The study was conducted in Hebron district during the year 2005. The seroprevalence of IgG antibodies to T. gondii was 27.9% while IgM seroprevalence was 17.6 % ; the seroprevalence of T. gondii increased with age. More women from rural areas ( 36.8%) had IgG antibodies to T. gondii than urban women ( 21.4%) . Possible routes of infection were contaminated soil, drinking rainwater and eating raw vegetables rather than eating uncooked meat or contact with cats. The prevalence of previous abortion was 37.3% , with a slight (but not statistically significant) association with toxoplasmosis.