Abstract

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite that represents an actual public health problem. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of T. gondii among 91 couples in Ramadi City who were examined for the presence of antibodies against T. gondii using Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). The overall anti-T. gondii (IgM and IgG) in both couples were 38.4%, the seroprevalence in wives was only 30.7%, while 13.1% in husbands only. The study showed that abortive women and women with abnormal pregnancies had the highest percentage rates, 35.7 vs. 57.14%, of toxoplasmosis within the age range of 26 and 30 years old, while the lowest rate was found among those within the average age range of 36 and 40 years old. One miscarriage was 50% higher than the other groups. The group of 26 to 30 years old showed high rate of IgM antibodies of about 66.66%. The number of abortion in the first trimester was high in both patterns of antibodies, IgM only and IgM and IgG (62.5 and 29.16%), respectively. Analysis of variance revealed that there were no significant interactions between IgM and IgG seropositivity and the gestational age of the fetus.

Key words: Toxoplasma gondii, pregnancy, the couples, seroprevalence