Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii antibodies among waste collectors in Kuwait

IF 2.4 Q3 INFECTIOUS DISEASES

Parasite Epidemiology and Control Pub Date : 2025-05-29 DOI:10.1016/j.parepi.2025.e00431

Anfal Yousef

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic disease with a global burden, particularly affecting pregnant women, neonates and immunosuppressed individuals. Latent toxoplasmosis has also been associated with neuropsychological disorders in immunocompetent individuals. In Kuwait, the unregulated presence of stray cats in residential areas may contribute to toxoplasmosis spread within the community. The targeted population of this study were waste cleaners, a potentially higher risk group in the community. The aim of the study was to estimate the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii among waste collectors across two governorates of Kuwait – Kuwait City and Jahra.

Method

Blood samples were collected from 201 waste workers from two different cities: 53 and 148 workers from Kuwait City Governorate and Jahra Governorate, respectively. These samples were analysed to determine the seroprevalence of T. gondii antibodies (IgM and IgG) and IgG avidity using a chemiluminescence immunoassay.

Results

The findings revealed that a total of 1 % and 21 % of waste workers had T. gondii IgM and IgG antibodies in their sera, respectively. Furthermore, 26 % of seropositive workers exhibited high avidity, indicating that infections were likely not recent. Almost half of seropositive workers (49 %) demonstrated low IgG avidity.

Conclusion

Recent travel history, age, or nationality were not statistically significant factors in determining seropositivity. The results of this study highlight the widespread presence in waste workers, where one in five was seropositive for T. gondii with no significant differences in both cities. Our findings emphasise the need for implementing preventive measures within a One Health framework to control the spread of toxoplasmosis in the environment, the food industry and the community.

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科威特垃圾收集者中弓形虫抗体的流行情况

弓形虫病是一种全球性寄生虫病，尤其影响孕妇、新生儿和免疫抑制个体。潜伏弓形虫病也与免疫正常个体的神经心理障碍有关。在科威特，居民区不受管制的流浪猫可能导致弓形虫病在社区内传播。本研究的目标人群是垃圾清洁工，这是社区中潜在的高风险群体。该研究的目的是估计科威特两个省（科威特市和Jahra）的废物收集者中刚地弓形虫的血清流行率。方法采集来自科威特省和贾赫拉省的201名废物处理工人的血液样本，分别为53名和148名。对这些样本进行分析，用化学发光免疫分析法测定血清中弓形虫抗体（IgM和IgG）的阳性率和IgG的贪婪度。结果废弃物工人血清中弓形虫IgM抗体阳性率为1%，IgG抗体阳性率为21%。此外，26%的血清学阳性工人表现出高发病率，表明感染可能不是最近发生的。几乎一半的血清阳性工人（49%）表现出低IgG亲和力。结论近期旅行史、年龄、国籍对确定血清阳性无统计学意义。这项研究的结果强调了在垃圾工人中广泛存在的弓形虫，其中五分之一的人血清弓形虫呈阳性，在两个城市中没有显著差异。我们的研究结果强调需要在“同一个健康”框架内实施预防措施，以控制弓形虫病在环境、食品工业和社区中的传播。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Parasite Epidemiology and Control Medicine-Infectious Diseases

CiteScore

5.70

自引率

3.10%

发文量

审稿时长

17 weeks

期刊介绍： Parasite Epidemiology and Control is an Open Access journal. There is an increasing amount of research in the parasitology area that analyses the patterns, causes, and effects of health and disease conditions in defined populations. This epidemiology of parasite infectious diseases is predominantly studied in human populations but also spans other major hosts of parasitic infections and as such this journal will have a broad remit. We will focus on the major areas of epidemiological study including disease etiology, disease surveillance, drug resistance and geographical spread and screening, biomonitoring, and comparisons of treatment effects in clinical trials for both human and other animals. We will also look at the epidemiology and control of vector insects. The journal will also cover the use of geographic information systems (Epi-GIS) for epidemiological surveillance which is a rapidly growing area of research in infectious diseases. Molecular epidemiological approaches are also particularly encouraged.