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Jimenez-Chunga J, Gomez-Puerta LA, Vargas-Calla A, Castro-Hidalgo J, Sánchez-Chicana C, Calderón-Sánchez M. Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii, risk factors and knowledge about toxoplasmosis in undergraduate students from Lima, Peru. Acta Trop 2024; 255:107233. [PMID: 38723738 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2024] [Revised: 04/25/2024] [Accepted: 04/27/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is the causative agent of toxoplasmosis, a zoonotic disease of worldwide distribution. The aim of this study was to assess the seroprevalence of T. gondii in undergraduate students from Lima, Peru, and to identify the risk factors linked to the infection. For this, serum samples of 100 undergraduate students of the Faculty of Biological Sciences were tested for T. gondii antibodies with a commercially available ELISA. The seroprevalence of T. gondii in these subjects was 7 %. Only the age of students showed a statistical association with T. gondii seropositivity. The level of awareness regarding toxoplasmosis was also investigated. In the sample, 71 % of the students are aware of toxoplasmosis and 64 % that a parasite is the cause of the infection. Most know it is transmitted through undercooked meat (57 %), but are unaware of contaminated vegetables (40 %), organ transplants (17 %), blood transfusions (32 %), and soil contact (39 %). In the epidemiological context it will be valuable to verify toxoplasmosis awareness in other population groups and other regions in Peru.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Jimenez-Chunga
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Laboratorio de Parasitología Humana y Animal, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Av. Venezuela s/n cuadra 34, Lima 1, Peru
| | - Luis A Gomez-Puerta
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Av. Circunvalación 2800, Lima 41, Peru.
| | - Ana Vargas-Calla
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Av. Circunvalación 2800, Lima 41, Peru
| | - Julia Castro-Hidalgo
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Laboratorio de Artrópodos Parásitos y Vectores, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Av. Venezuela s/n cuadra 34, Lima 1, Peru
| | - Carol Sánchez-Chicana
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Laboratorio de Parasitología Humana y Animal, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Av. Venezuela s/n cuadra 34, Lima 1, Peru
| | - Maritza Calderón-Sánchez
- Laboratorio de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Av. Honorio Delgado 430, Lima, Peru
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Santos ALC, Terças Trettel ACP, Ribeiro LDJBB, Vasconcellos ML, Zenazokenae LE, Atanaka Santos M, Lemos ERSD, Amendoeira MRR. Serological study on toxoplasmosis in the Haliti-Paresí community of the Utiariti indigenous territory, Campo Novo do Parecis, Mato Grosso, Brazil. Parasite Epidemiol Control 2019; 5:e00097. [PMID: 30886914 PMCID: PMC6402422 DOI: 10.1016/j.parepi.2019.e00097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2018] [Revised: 01/14/2019] [Accepted: 02/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is the etiological agent of toxoplasmosis, a widespread zoonosis that affects several homeothermic animals, including humans. This disease causes serious health problems, such that 10% of infected individuals develop clinical manifestations. Some studies on indigenous human populations have indicated variations in seroprevalence from 10.6% to 80.4% in such populations in different regions of Brazil and in other countries like Venezuela and Malaysia. To date, there have been no studies regarding the prevalence of anti-T. gondii antibodies in Haliti-Paresí Indians living in Campo Novo do Parecis, Mato Grosso, Brazil. Our objective here was to determine the frequency of occurrence of antibodies against this protozoon in nine Haliti-Paresí villages by correlating seroprevalence with locations and variables. Serodiagnoses were made using the indirect immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in the Laboratory for Toxoplasmosis and Other Protozoan Diseases of IOC/Fiocruz. It was considered that samples tested positive for T. gondii infection if IgG/IgM antibodies against this protozoon were detected through serodiagnosis using either IFAT or ELISA. Among the 293 samples analyzed, 66.9% presented anti-T. gondii IgG and 3.4% presented anti-T. gondii IgM. It was observed that there were no statistically significant differences in frequency of antibody occurrence among infected individuals, based on sex, schooling or occupation/activities. However, there were statistical differences based on age and villages. The prevalence observed in this study is in agreement with values found in other studies on indigenous populations in Latin America. Like among other such populations, the Haliti-Paresí villages are located close to forests and the individuals have domestic cats as pets, are involved in hunting and farming and consume water directly from water accumulation sources. These factors might cause exposure to T. gondii tissue cysts and oocysts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Letícia Carvalho Santos
- Laboratory for Toxoplasmosis and Other Protozoan Diseases, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation - FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | | | | | - Marcelo Leitão Vasconcellos
- Laboratory for Toxoplasmosis and Other Protozoan Diseases, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation - FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | | | | | - Elba Regina Sampaio de Lemos
- Hantavirus and Rickettsiosis Laboratory, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation - FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Maria Regina Reis Amendoeira
- Laboratory for Toxoplasmosis and Other Protozoan Diseases, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation - FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
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Ferreira MN, Bonini-Domingos CR, Fonseca Estevão I, de Castro Lobo CL, Souza Carrocini GC, Silveira-Carvalho AP, Ricci O, de Mattos LC, Brandão de Mattos CC. Anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in patients with beta-hemoglobinopathies: the first report in the Americas. BMC Res Notes 2017; 10:211. [PMID: 28615064 PMCID: PMC5471967 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-017-2535-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2016] [Accepted: 06/05/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background In Brazil, there have been no previous studies of Toxoplasma gondii infection in sickle cell anemia patients and carriers of severe forms of beta-thalassemia. This study evaluated T. gondii infection in patients with beta-hemoglobinopathies. Methods A total of 158 samples, 77 (48.7%) men and 81 (51.3%) women, were evaluated. Three groups were formed: G1 (85 patients with sickle cell disease); G2 (11 patients with homozygous beta-thalassemia; G3 (62 patients with heterozygous beta-thalassemia). ELISA was employed to identify anti-T. gondii IgM and IgG antibodies, and molecular analysis was performed to determine beta-hemoglobin mutations. Fisher’s exact test was used to compare frequencies of anti-T. gondii IgM and IgG antibodies in respect to gender and age. Results Anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies were found in 43.5% of individuals in G1, 18.1% in G2 and 50% in G3. All samples from G1 and G2 were seronegative for anti-T. gondii IgM antibodies, but 3.2% from G3 were seropositive. Considering anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies, no statistical significant differences were found between these groups nor in seroprevalence between genders within each group. Despite this, comparisons of the mean ages between G1, G2 and G3 were statistically significant (G2 vs. G1: p value = 0.0001; G3 vs. G1: p-value <0.0001; G3 vs. G2: p-value = 0.0001). Conclusion A comparison by age of patients with sickle cell anemia showed a trend of lower risk of infection among younger individuals. Therefore, this study demonstrates that T. gondii infection occurs in patients with beta-thalassemia and sickle cell anemia in Brazil as seen by the presence of anti-T. gondii IgM and IgG antibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Neves Ferreira
- Department of Biology, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas-IBILCE-UNESP, São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil.,Immunogenetics Laboratory, Department of Molecular Biology, Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto-FAMERP, Avenida Brigadeiro Faria Lima, 5416, São José do Rio Preto, SP, 15090-000, Brazil.,FAMERP Toxoplasma Research Group, Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto, São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil.,Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Claudia Regina Bonini-Domingos
- Department of Biology, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas-IBILCE-UNESP, São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Isabeth Fonseca Estevão
- Department of Biology, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas-IBILCE-UNESP, São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Clarice Lopes de Castro Lobo
- Clinical Hematology Division, Instituto de Hematologia Arthur de Siqueira Cavalcanti-HEMORIO, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Gisele Cristina Souza Carrocini
- Department of Biology, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas-IBILCE-UNESP, São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Aparecida Perpétuo Silveira-Carvalho
- Immunogenetics Laboratory, Department of Molecular Biology, Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto-FAMERP, Avenida Brigadeiro Faria Lima, 5416, São José do Rio Preto, SP, 15090-000, Brazil.,FAMERP Toxoplasma Research Group, Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto, São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Octávio Ricci
- Department of Medicine, Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto-FAMERP, São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil.,Regional Blood Center-Hemocentro de São José do Rio Preto-Fundação Faculdade Regional de Medicina-FUNFARME, São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Luiz Carlos de Mattos
- Immunogenetics Laboratory, Department of Molecular Biology, Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto-FAMERP, Avenida Brigadeiro Faria Lima, 5416, São José do Rio Preto, SP, 15090-000, Brazil.,FAMERP Toxoplasma Research Group, Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto, São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Cinara Cássia Brandão de Mattos
- Immunogenetics Laboratory, Department of Molecular Biology, Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto-FAMERP, Avenida Brigadeiro Faria Lima, 5416, São José do Rio Preto, SP, 15090-000, Brazil. .,FAMERP Toxoplasma Research Group, Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto, São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil.
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Soares SFDS, Donatti TL, Souto FJD. Serological markers of viral, syphilitic and toxoplasmic infection in children and teenagers with nephrotic syndrome: case series from Mato Grosso State, Brazil. Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo 2015; 56:499-504. [PMID: 25351544 PMCID: PMC4296870 DOI: 10.1590/s0036-46652014000600008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2014] [Accepted: 03/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Some infections can be the cause of secondary nephrotic syndrome. The
aim of this study was to describe the experience of a Renal Disease Reference
Clinic from Central Brazil, in which serological markers of some infectious
agents are systematically screened in children with nephrotic syndrome. Data
were obtained from the assessment of medical files of all children under fifteen
years of age, who matched nephrotic syndrome criteria. Subjects were tested for
IgG and IgM antibodies against T. gondii and cytomegalovirus;
antibodies against Herpes simplex, hepatitis C virus and HIV; and surface
antigen (HBsAg) of hepatitis B virus. The VDRL test was also
performed. 169 cases were studied. The median age on the first visit was 44
months and 103 (60.9%) patients were male. Anti-CMV IgG and IgM
were found in 70.4% and 4.1%, respectively. IgG and IgM against
Toxoplasma gondii were present in 32.5% and 5.3%,
respectively. Two patients were positive for HBsAg, but none showed markers for
HIV, hepatitis C, or Treponema pallidum. IgG and IgM against
herpes simplex virus were performed on 54 patients, of which 48.1% and
22.2% were positive. IgM antibodies in some children with clinical signs of
recent infection suggest that these diseases may play a role in the genesis of
nephrotic syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Teresinha Lermen Donatti
- Hospital Universitário Júlio Muller, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, Mato Grosso State, Brazil
| | - Francisco José Dutra Souto
- Hospital Universitário Júlio Muller, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, Mato Grosso State, Brazil
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Toporovski J, Romano S, Hartmann S, Benini W, Chieffi PP. Nephrotic syndrome associated with toxoplasmosis: report of seven cases. Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo 2012; 54:61-4. [PMID: 22499417 DOI: 10.1590/s0036-46652012000200001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2011] [Accepted: 02/23/2012] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The concomitance of nephrotic syndrome and acute infection by Toxoplasma gondii is a rare occurrence in humans. In this paper seven cases of children, ranging from 11 months to 7 year-old, with concomitant nephrotic syndrome and asymptomatic acute T. gondii infection are reported. In one of those patients only the administration of anti-Toxoplasma therapy was enough to control the clinical and laboratory manifestations of the disease. In the other patients it was necessary to introduce corticosteroids or other immunosuppressant drugs. Three patients had complete clinical and laboratory improvement and the remaining showed only a partial response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julio Toporovski
- Pediatric Department, Medical School of Santa Casa, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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Toxoplasmosis in humans and animals in Brazil: high prevalence, high burden of disease, and epidemiology. Parasitology 2012; 139:1375-424. [PMID: 22776427 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182012000765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 330] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Infections by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii are widely prevalent in humans and animals in Brazil. The burden of clinical toxoplasmosis in humans is considered to be very high. The high prevalence and encouragement of the Brazilian Government provides a unique opportunity for international groups to study the epidemiology and control of toxoplasmosis in Brazil. Many early papers on toxoplasmosis in Brazil were published in Portuguese and often not available to scientists in English-speaking countries. In the present paper we review prevalence, clinical spectrum, molecular epidemiology, and control of T. gondii in humans and animals in Brazil. This knowledge should be useful to biologists, public health workers, veterinarians, and physicians. Brazil has a very high rate of T. gondii infection in humans. Up to 50% of elementary school children and 50-80% of women of child-bearing age have antibodies to T. gondii. The risks for uninfected women to acquire toxoplasmosis during pregnancy and fetal transmission are high because the environment is highly contaminated with oocysts. The burden of toxoplasmosis in congenitally infected children is also very high. From limited data on screening of infants for T. gondii IgM at birth, 5-23 children are born infected per 10 000 live births in Brazil. Based on an estimate of 1 infected child per 1000 births, 2649 children with congenital toxoplasmosis are likely to be born annually in Brazil. Most of these infected children are likely to develop symptoms or signs of clinical toxoplasmosis. Among the congenitally infected children whose clinical data are described in this review, several died soon after birth, 35% had neurological disease including hydrocephalus, microcephaly and mental retardation, 80% had ocular lesions, and in one report 40% of children had hearing loss. The severity of clinical toxoplasmosis in Brazilian children may be associated with the genetic characteristics of T. gondii isolates prevailing in animals and humans in Brazil.
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