High prevalence of anti-toxoplasma antibodies and absence of Toxoplasma gondii infection risk factors among pregnant women attending routine antenatal care in two Hospitals of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Objective: Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. It is acquired mainly by eating raw or undercooked meat containing Toxoplasma gondii tissue cyst, eating food or water contaminated with oocyst, and acquiring congenital infection through the placenta. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of toxoplasmosis and assess possible risk factors associated with the infection among pregnant women in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Method: Cross sectional study was designed, and 288 serum samples were collected from November 1st 2010 to January 2011. The serum samples were tested for anti- Toxoplasma gondii antibodies using latex agglutination test. The risk factors were tested for significance using Bivariate and multivariate analysis. P-value