title: Toxoplasma gondii, HCV, and HBV seroprevalence and co-infection among HIV-positive and -negative pregnant women in Burkina Faso.
abstract: Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) infections can cause serious complications in HIV-infected pregnant women, leading to miscarriage, stillbirth, birth defects (e.g., mental retardation, blindness, epilepsy etc.) and could favor or enhance the mother-to-child transmission of HCV, HBV, and HIV vertical transmission. From May 20, 2004 to August 3, 2005, 336 18-45 years aged pregnant women, were enrolled for an investigation of the prevalence of serum antibodies against T. gondii, HCV, HBV, and HIV using ELISA. The prevalence of T. gondii, HCV, and HBV in pregnant women was 25.3%, 5.4%, and 9.8%, respectively and the HIV serostatus (61.6%) seems to be associated with greater prevalence rates of both T. gondii (28.5% vs. 20.2%) and HBV (11.6% vs. 7.0%). Without taking into account HIV, only 65.5% (220 of 336) of the women were not infected with these agents. The co-infection rate between HIV-infected and -negative women was different statistically: T. gondii/HBV 0.048 versus 0.015, T. gondii/HCV 0.014 versus 0.008, and HCV/HBV 0.005 versus 0.008, respectively. The elevated co-infection rate in HIV-positive women demonstrated that they are exposed to T. gondii, HCV, and HBV infections prevalently by sexual contact.
authors.affiliation: Saint Camille Medical Centre, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Simpore
authors.forename: Aly
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Savadogo
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ilboudo
authors.forename: Marie Christelle
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Nadambega
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Esposito
authors.forename: Justine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yara
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pignatelli
authors.forename: Virginio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pietra
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Musumeci
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D002050:Burkina Faso / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D014123:Toxoplasmosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D000914:Antibodies, Viral