Undercooked meat consumption remains the major risk factor for Toxoplasma infection in Serbia

Abstract

Toxoplasma gondii infection prevalence and infection risk factors were analyzed in a series of 765 women of generative age from throughout Serbia tested at the Institute for Medical Research Toxoplasmosis Laboratory between 2001 and 2005. The infection risk factors were additionally analyzed in a group of 53 women with acute infection (cases) compared to a group of seronegative women matched for age and education level (controls). The overall prevalence of infection was 33%. Infection risk factors in the whole series were undercooked meat consumption (RR = 1.77, 95% CI = 1.16-2.7, P = 0.008) and exposure to soil (RR = 1.63, 95% CI = 1.17-2.29, P = 0.004), particularly in less educated women. Moreover, undercooked meat consumption was the single predictor of infection in women with acute infection, with an 11-fold increased risk of infection in women who acknowledged consumption of undercooked meat (RR = 11.21, 95% CI = 3.10-40.53, P = 0.000). These data prompted us to analyze the significance of consumption of particular meat types as sources of infection. Of all the meat types mostly consumed in Serbia, only consumption of beef (RR = 1.006, 95% CI = 1.001-1.011, P = 0.027) was shown to influence Toxoplasma infection rates.