Prevalence and associated risk factors in central Tanzania

Masters ThesisToxoplasmosis is a parasitic zoonotic disease caused by coccidian intracellular protozoan parasite, Toxoplasma gondii. The parasite is ubiquitous and infects almost all warm blooded animals including humans. Primary infection in human is usually asymtomatic or manifest with febrile illness characterized by headache, sore throat, muscle pain and swollen lymph nodes. Clinical implication of the disease is more on pregnant women and immunocompromised individuals. The overall objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and associated factors to toxoplasmosis among patients attending Dodoma Regional Referral Hospital (DRRH) in Central Tanzania. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 395 outpatients attending DRRH between December 2019 and February 2020 were enrolled. Blood was collected from consenting patients. A structured questionnaire with simple, open and closed ended questions was administered to study subjects to collect information on knowledge of infectious agent, transmission mode and information regarding risk of exposures. Of 395 subjects enrolled in this study, 2% were infected with T. gondii after screening using polymerase chain reaction. There was no statistical relationship between disease diagnosis and risk of exposures. Only 1.3% of the participants had good knowledge towards toxoplasmosis. Majority (88.4%) of the enrolled participants showed good practises towards toxoplasmosis. The results indicate that T. gondii is prevalent among individuals in Dodoma Region and a very low proportion of them had knowledge of the disease. The results suggest the need of health education toward toxoplasmosis among residents of Dodoma. It is important that the health care system diagnostic capacity is enhanced to provide routine diagnosis of T. gondii and promote an interdisciplinary collaboration in its risk management