The prevalence of toxoplasmosis among female patients in Al-Hawija and Al-Baiji Districts in Iraq

Objectives: Toxoplasma gondii is a ruthless intracellular parasite belonging to Coccidae. Toxoplasmosis is a disease affecting 500 million people worldwide. The seroprevalence varies from 5% to 90% depending on geographical location, age, habit of eating, raw meat or unwashed fruit and vegetables, and general level of hygiene. The objective of the current study was to assess the prevalence of this parasitic disease which lately seems to be elevated generally in Iraq and particularly in the middle and northern Iraq. A prospective study was carried out on females which attended public hospitals complaining of abortion and/ or infertility during 2009. Methods: We collected blood samples from the female patients to detect the presence of specific antibodies of Toxoplasma gondii utilizing direct agglutination test which was compared with ELISA techniques for evaluations of their testing sensitivity. The history of all patients was taken particularly abortion and marriage periods with and/ or without children with the family. Results: Direct latex agglutination test and ELISA methodology gave almost the same results when both were utilized for the detection of the toxoplasmosis in the sera of the women examined. A high frequency of toxoplasmosis incidence was seen among women with one abortion group which happen during their marital life. Conclusions: It was concluded that the high prevalence of toxoplasmosis among the investigated high risk women at Al-Hawija and at Al-Baiji districts is due to many risk factors including age, number of deliveries, contact with host animals. This disease was elevated after Iraq occupation with a frequency of infection more than 40% compared to eighties of Iraqi life which was the frequency of the infected women with toxoplasmosis which did not exceed 2% of the women tested at that time by our laboratories.