Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii, risk factors and knowledge about toxoplasmosis in undergraduate students from Lima, Peru

•Seroprevalence of T. gondii infection in 100 undergraduate students was 7 %.•71 % of students are aware of toxoplasmosis and 64 % know that a parasite causes the disease.•57 % know that toxoplasmosis is transmitted by eating undercooked/raw meat and 40 % by eating contaminated vegetables. Toxoplasm...

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Published in:Acta tropica 2024-07, Vol.255, p.107233-107233, Article 107233
Main Authors: Jimenez-Chunga, Juan, Gomez-Puerta, Luis A., Vargas-Calla, Ana, Castro-Hidalgo, Julia, Sánchez-Chicana, Carol, Calderón-Sánchez, Maritza
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Animals
Antibodies, Protozoan - blood
Awareness
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
Female
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Humans
Male
Peru - epidemiology
Risk Factors
Seroepidemiologic Studies
Seroprevalence
Students - statistics & numerical data
Toxoplasma - immunology
Toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasmosis - epidemiology
Undergraduate students
Young Adult
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Summary:•Seroprevalence of T. gondii infection in 100 undergraduate students was 7 %.•71 % of students are aware of toxoplasmosis and 64 % know that a parasite causes the disease.•57 % know that toxoplasmosis is transmitted by eating undercooked/raw meat and 40 % by eating contaminated vegetables. 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.
ISSN:0001-706X
1873-6254
DOI:10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107233