Microscopic and ELISA Based Detection of Toxoplasma and its Associated Risk Factors in Pregnant Women of District Mardan

Toxoplasmosis caused by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii, the most prevalent disease worldwide. The infections in human are extremely dangerous if they happen during pregnancy because they may lead to miscarriage or congenital abnormalities, which predominantly affect the central nervous system. The main objective of current study was to identify the risk factors for toxoplasmosis and its prevalence among pregnant women in Mardan. The blood serum was tested using the ELISA and the latex agglutination test. Through interviews, sociodemographic and prospective risk factor data were gathered using a standardized questionnaire. Our findings, obtained from ELISA and latex agglutination tests, showed considerably higher toxoplasmosis rates of 23% and 11%, respectively. The geographic distribution of toxoplasma infection in district Mardan revealed a high prevalence in Shah Baig village through ELISA (28%) and latex test (12%) followed by Ibrahim Khan Killi (24%) and (16%), while lower cases were recorded through ELISA (20%) in Sheikh Yousaf Killi and Saleem Khan Killi. Compared to working women in the community (5.85 percent), the infection was more prevalent (18%) in non-occupational women/house wives. Moreover, it was also observed that abortion occurred to the woman who have been clinically diagnosed positive by ELISA and it reported 20% by ELISA and 11.4% by latex agglutination test. It was concluded that T. gondii infection were more prevalent in pregnant women of rural areas of Mardan as compared to the urban centers. Women and children were more vulnerable if they frequently interact with domestic animals and play in contaminated environment.