[Investigation on current status of Toxoplasma gondii infection among pregnant women and exploration of risk factors in some areas of Lhasa City, Tibet].

OBJECTIVE

To understand the current status of Toxoplasma gondii (TOX) infection among pregnant women and to explore the risk factors in some areas of Lhasa City, Tibet.

METHODS

From 2015 to 2016, 3 districts (counties) of Lhasa City were chosen as the investigation sites, and 200 pregnant women in each district (county) were selected as the investigation objectives. Meanwhile, 450 pregnant women from Xuzhou, Yangzhou, Wuxi cities in Jiangsu Province were chosen as the control. Then the blood samples of the pregnant women both in Lhasa and Jiangsu were detected by ELISA for TOX antibodies IgG, IgM, and the detection results were analyzed and compared. In addition, the individual information of the pregnant women in Lhasa City was surveyed by questionnaires, and the related risk factors of TOX infection were analyzed.

RESULTS

Among 600 pregnant women investigated in Lhasa City, there were 99 pregnant women with positive TOX antibodies, and the positive rate was 16.50%, which was significantly higher than that (5.11%) of the pregnant women in Jiangsu Province (P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference among the 3 districts (counties) of Lhasa City in the positive rates of pregnant women (P > 0.05). The positive rates of the women who preferred raw meat or had the intimate contact with animal were high.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with Jiangsu Province, the infection rate of TOX among pregnant women in Lhasa City is high. Therefore, the comprehensive measures including health education, early examination and treatment should be taken actively, so as to prevent and control TOX infection in this area.