Toxoplasma gondii Seropositivity and Co-Infection with TORCH Pathogens in High-Risk Patients from Qatar

Testing of patients who are deemed to be at high risk for TORCH pathogens, e.g., pregnant women, their fetuses, neonates, and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients, is important so that specific treatment can be initiated. This study included 1,857 such patients between 2005 and 2008. Logistic regression was used to evaluate factors associated with Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity. Among 823 women of childbearing age, 35.1% and 5.2% tested positive for T. gondii IgG and IgM, respectively. Three infants ≤ 6 months of age (0.8% of 353) were congenitally infected. Factors associated with T. gondii IgG seropositivity included older age, East Mediterranean or African nationality, positive cytomegalovirus (CMV) and herpes simplex virus (HSV)-1 serostatus, and negative rubella IgG results. The decreasing prevalence of IgM antibodies between 2005 and 2008 suggested that exposure to T. gondii from food or environmental sources declined over this period in Qatar. Population-based studies of newborns would be helpful to accurately estimate incidence of congenital toxoplasmosis

The One Health Approach to Toxoplasmosis: Epidemiology, Control, and Prevention Strategies

One Health is a collaborative, interdisciplinary effort that seeks optimal health for people, animals, plants, and the environment. Toxoplasmosis, caused by Toxoplasma gondii, is an intracellular protozoan infection distributed worldwide, with a heteroxenous life cycle that practically affects all homeotherms and in which felines act as definitive reservoirs. Herein, we review the natural history of T. gondii, its transmission and impacts in humans, domestic animals, wildlife both terrestrial and aquatic, and ecosystems. The epidemiology, prevention, and control strategies are reviewed, with the objective of facilitating awareness of this disease and promoting transdisciplinary collaborations, integrative research, and capacity building among universities, government agencies, NGOs, policy makers, practicing physicians, veterinarians, and the general public

Evaluation of an educational handout on knowledge about toxoplasmosis

AIMS: The study sought to determine the factors associated with prior knowledge about toxoplasmosis, and to assess what participants learned after reading an educational handout. METHODS: Participants were recruited at two sites in California: a public meeting about water quality in Morro Bay; and at the Women Infants and Children’s Nutrition Program office or La Leche League meetings in Yolo County. Demographic differences between sites were compared using Fisher’s exact test, and change in knowledge before and after reading the handout using Mantel-Haenszel methodology. RESULTS: Non-Hispanic white participants were more likely than those of Hispanic ethnicity (62% vs. 20%, respectively) to have prior knowledge about toxoplasmosis. The most common source of information was newspapers (36%). Only 16% had obtained information from medical professionals. After reading the handout, 85% of participants identified Toxoplasma gondii as a parasite and 98% identified cats as the source of oocysts. Ninety-eight percent of participants who read the handout were aware they could acquire infection from cat faeces, 94% from meat, 78% from soil or in utero, and 69% from unwashed vegetables. Fewer (59%) recognized all sources. CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge about toxoplasmosis increased in all areas evaluated, but gaps remained, particularly with regard to environmental sources of Toxoplasma gondii infection and clinical manifestations of disease. In addition to care in handling cat faeces/litter and avoidance of undercooked meat, healthcare providers counseling pregnant women should emphasize the importance of wearing gloves when gardening, hand washing after handling soil or meat, and rinsing fresh vegetables thoroughly before consumption

Molecular Epidemiology of Infant Botulism in California and Elsewhere, 1976–2010

Background. Infant botulism (IB), first identified in California in 1976, results from Clostridium botulinum spores that germinate, multiply, and produce botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) in the immature intestine. From 1976 to 2010 we created an archive of 1090 BoNT-producing isolates consisting of 1012 IB patient (10 outpatient, 985 hospitalized, 17 sudden death), 25 food, 18 dust/soils, and 35 other strains. Methods. The mouse neutralization assay determined isolate toxin type (56% BoNT/A, 32% BoNT/B). Amplified fragment-length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis of the isolates was combined with epidemiologic information. Results. The AFLP dendrogram, the largest to date, contained 154 clades; 52% of isolates clustered in just 2 clades, 1 BoNT/A (n = 418) and 1 BoNT/B (n = 145). These clades constituted an endemic C. botulinum population that produced the entire clinical spectrum of IB. Isolates from the patient’s home environment (dust/soil, honey) usually located to the same AFLP clade as the patient’s isolate, thereby identifying the likely source of infective spores. C. botulinum A(B) strains were identified in California for the first time. Conclusions. Combining molecular methods and epidemiological data created an effective tool that yielded novel insights into the genetic diversity of C. botulinum and the clinical spectrum, occurrence, and distribution of IB in California

The One Health Approach to Toxoplasmosis: Epidemiology, Control, and Prevention Strategies

One Health is a collaborative, interdisciplinary effort that seeks optimal health for people, animals, plants, and the environment. Toxoplasmosis, caused by Toxoplasma gondii, is an intracellular protozoan infection distributed worldwide, with a heteroxenous life cycle that practically affects all homeotherms and in which felines act as definitive reservoirs. Herein, we review the natural history of T. gondii, its transmission and impacts in humans, domestic animals, wildlife both terrestrial and aquatic, and ecosystems. The epidemiology, prevention, and control strategies are reviewed, with the objective of facilitating awareness of this disease and promoting transdisciplinary collaborations, integrative research, and capacity building among universities, government agencies, NGOs, policy makers, practicing physicians, veterinarians, and the general public

Correction to: The One Health Approach to Toxoplasmosis: Epidemiology, Control, and Prevention Strategies

This article was originally published electronically on the publisher's internet portal (currently SpringerLink) on April 3, 2019 without open access

The One Health Approach to Toxoplasmosis: Epidemiology, Control, and Prevention Strategies.

One Health is a collaborative, interdisciplinary effort that seeks optimal health for people, animals, plants, and the environment. Toxoplasmosis, caused by Toxoplasma gondii, is an intracellular protozoan infection distributed worldwide, with a heteroxenous life cycle that practically affects all homeotherms and in which felines act as definitive reservoirs. Herein, we review the natural history of T. gondii, its transmission and impacts in humans, domestic animals, wildlife both terrestrial and aquatic, and ecosystems. The epidemiology, prevention, and control strategies are reviewed, with the objective of facilitating awareness of this disease and promoting transdisciplinary collaborations, integrative research, and capacity building among universities, government agencies, NGOs, policy makers, practicing physicians, veterinarians, and the general public