Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Multicenter Study
. 2000 Jul 15;321(7254):142-7.
doi: 10.1136/bmj.321.7254.142.

Sources of toxoplasma infection in pregnant women: European multicentre case-control study. European Research Network on Congenital Toxoplasmosis

A J Cook  1 , R E Gilbert, W Buffolano, J Zufferey, E Petersen, P A Jenum, W Foulon, A E Semprini, D T Dunn
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Sources of toxoplasma infection in pregnant women: European multicentre case-control study. European Research Network on Congenital Toxoplasmosis

A J Cook et al. BMJ. .

Abstract

Objective: To determine the odds ratio and population attributable fraction associated with food and environmental risk factors for acute toxoplasmosis in pregnancy.

Design: Case-control study.

Setting: Six large European cities.

Participants: Pregnant women with acute infection (cases) detected by seroconversion or positive for anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgM were compared with pregnant women seronegative for toxoplasma (controls).

Main outcome measures: Odds ratios for acute infection adjusted for confounding variables; the population attributable fraction for risk factors.

Results: Risk factors most strongly predictive of acute infection in pregnant women were eating undercooked lamb, beef, or game, contact with soil, and travel outside Europe and the United States and Canada. Contact with cats was not a risk factor. Between 30% and 63% of infections in different centres were attributed to consumption of undercooked or cured meat products and 6% to 17% to soil contact.

Conclusions: Inadequately cooked or cured meat is the main risk factor for infection with toxoplasma in all centres. Preventive strategies should aim to reduce prevalence of infection in meat, improve labelling of meat according to farming and processing methods, and improve the quality and consistency of health information given to pregnant women.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

References

    1. Gilbert RE. Epidemiology of infection in pregnant women. In: Petersen E, Amboise-Thomas P, editors. Congenital toxoplasmosis: scientific background, clinical management and control. Paris: Springer-Verlag France; 1999.
    1. Guerina NG, Hsu HW, Meissner HC, Maguire JH, Lynfield R, Stechenberg B, et al. Neonatal serologic screening and early treatment for congenital Toxoplasma gondii infection. The New England Regional Toxoplasma Working Group. N Engl J Med. 1994;330:1858–1863. - PubMed
    1. Koppe JG, Loewer Sieger DH, de Roever Bonnet H. Results of 20-year follow-up of congenital toxoplasmosis. Lancet. 1986;i:254–256. - PubMed
    1. Conyn-van-Spaedonck MAE. Prevention of congenital toxoplasmosis in the Netherlands. Netherlands: National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Protection; 1991. (PhD thesis).
    1. Lappalainen M, Koskiniemi M, Hiilesmaa V, Ammala P, Teramo K, Koskela P, et al. Outcome of children after maternal primary Toxoplasma infection during pregnancy with emphasis on avidity of specific IgG. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 1995;14:354–361. - PubMed

Publication types