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. 2024 Sep 10;111(5):1005-1014.
doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.24-0107. Print 2024 Nov 6.

Seroprevalence and Risk Factors for Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Women of Reproductive Age in Nigeria in 2018

Dawn Blackburn  1   2 , Nwando Mba  3 , William Nwachukwu  3 , Hong Zhou  1 , Andrew Hill  1 , Andrew Abbott  1 , Nishanth Parameswaran  1 , Samuel Awala  4 , Stacie Greby  5 , Matthias Alagi  5 , Nnaemeka C Iriemenam  5 , McPaul I Okoye  5 , Mahesh Swaminathan  5 , Jeffrey W Priest  6 , Diana Martin  1 , Anne Straily  1 , Chikwe Ihekweazu  3
Affiliations

Seroprevalence and Risk Factors for Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Women of Reproductive Age in Nigeria in 2018

Dawn Blackburn et al. Am J Trop Med Hyg. .

Abstract

Congenital transmission of Toxoplasma gondii can occur when a woman becomes infected for the first time during or just before pregnancy. Toxoplasma gondii in the fetus can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, ocular or neurological abnormalities at birth, or progressive visual, hearing, motor, and cognitive deficiencies. The national seroprevalence of T. gondii infection in Nigeria was previously unknown. The 2018 Nigeria HIV/AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey collected demographic, socioeconomic, and HIV-related data and stored blood specimens with consent for future analysis for other pathogens of public health importance. We evaluated toxoplasmosis seropositivity and risk factors in a sample of 44,269 women of reproductive age (WRA) between 15 and 44 years. The national T. gondii seroprevalence among WRA was 26.8% (95% CI: 25.8-27.7%). We found that WRA from all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory had T. gondii exposure. Seroprevalence was higher in 25- to 44-year-olds than in 15- to 24-year-olds. A similar proportion of pregnant and nonpregnant women were seropositive. Increased odds of seropositivity were associated with unimproved toilet facilities and drinking water sources, being in a higher wealth quintile, and primary and secondary education compared with no education. Decreased odds of seropositivity were associated with living in an urban area and owning livestock. This study provides the first-ever national seroprevalence estimate for WRA in Nigeria. Although information on known risk factors for toxoplasmosis (e.g., consumption of undercooked meat, cat ownership) was not collected, future studies could further investigate potential risk factors to inform the development of effective toxoplasmosis prevention measures.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosures: The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position of the U.S. CDC. The findings and conclusions of this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the NAIIS Group. Protocols for NAIIS and the additional testing using the stored specimens were reviewed and approved by human subject reviewers at the National Health Research Ethics Committee of Nigeria, the University of Maryland Baltimore, and U.S. CDC, and the conduct of this work was consistent with applicable federal laws of Nigeria and the United States and U.S. CDC policy (45 C.F.R. part 46; 21 C.F.R. part 56).

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
SAG2A seroprevalence by state in women of reproductive age (15–44 years)—Nigeria, 2018.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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