title: Antibody Prevalence and Risk Factors for Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Women from Multan, Pakistan.
abstract: Toxoplasma gondii infections are prevalent in humans and warm-blooded animals. Maternal infections during pregnancy may have devastating consequences for transplacentally infected neonates. This study was conducted to examine the seroprevalence of antibodies to T. gondii in pregnant women of childbearing age and determine risk factors associated with pregnancy history, pet ownership, social and cultural factors at Nishtar Hospital, Multan. Samples were collected from 403 women and examined using a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The overall prevalence of antibodies to T. gondii was 17.6% (71) in the 403 samples collected from women. Antibodies to T. gondii were present in 19.4% (45) of 232 pregnant women and 15.2% (26) of the samples from 171 non-pregnant women. This study identified miscarriage history, pet ownership, type of residence, marital status, source of drinking water and eating habits as significant (P < 0.05) risk factors associated with the presence of antibodies to T. gondii infection. Seroprevalence was not significantly different (P > 0.05) in women from different ethnic groups based upon lifestyle and culture.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, B.Z University, Multan, Pakistan.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Nazir
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, B.Z University, Multan, Pakistan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Akhtar
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maqbool
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, B.Z University, Multan, Pakistan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Waheed
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Research Institute, Lahore, Pakistan.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Sajid
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oneeb
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Alam
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, B.Z University, Multan, Pakistan.
authors.forename: A N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Ahmad
authors.affiliation: Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad, Pakistan.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nazir
authors.affiliation: The Urban Unit Company, Lahore, Pakistan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fatima
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Lindsay
mesh_terms: D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D057805:Pets; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D014122:Toxoplasma; D014123:Toxoplasmosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015047:Zoonoses
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan
keywords: 
  Toxoplasma gondii
  ; ethnic groups; miscarriage; pet ownership; pregnant