Interplay between cross sectional analysis of risk factors associated with Toxoplasma gondii infection in pregnant women and their domestic cats
Toxoplasmosis is a global zoonotic disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii). The primary aim of this study was to identify hygienic and cat management practices that could affect the occurrence of T. gondii in cats and their owners in Sharqia Governorate, Egypt. T. gondii infection was evalua...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Veterinary Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2023.1147614/full |
| _version_ | 1797860945440014336 |
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| author | Eman A. A. Hassanen Dennis N. Makau Mohamed Afifi Mohamed Afifi Omar A. Al-Jabr Mohammed Abdulrahman Alshahrani Ahmed Saif Reham G. A. Anter Wafaa M. El-Neshwy Doaa Ibrahim Rasha M. M. Abou Elez |
| author_facet | Eman A. A. Hassanen Dennis N. Makau Mohamed Afifi Mohamed Afifi Omar A. Al-Jabr Mohammed Abdulrahman Alshahrani Ahmed Saif Reham G. A. Anter Wafaa M. El-Neshwy Doaa Ibrahim Rasha M. M. Abou Elez |
| author_sort | Eman A. A. Hassanen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Toxoplasmosis is a global zoonotic disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii). The primary aim of this study was to identify hygienic and cat management practices that could affect the occurrence of T. gondii in cats and their owners in Sharqia Governorate, Egypt. T. gondii infection was evaluated in 80 pregnant women and 29 domestic cats using Real-time PCR. A questionnaire was administered to obtain information regarding the risk factors associated with T. gondii infection. Blood samples were collected from enrolled pregnant women, and fecal samples were collected from their pet cats. Firth logistic regression model complemented with random forest (RF) analysis was used to evaluate the association of different hygiene and cat management practices with T. gondii infection in pregnant women. T. gondii infection was identified in 27.5% of pregnant women and 17% of domestic cats. Drinking raw milk and contacting stray and pet cats were significantly associated with higher odds of T. gondii infection. The proportion of T. gondii-positive women who ate raw meat (60.0%) was higher than those ate heat-cooked meat (25.3%). Moreover, women who did not wash their hands after contact with cats were 6 times (OR 6.12; CI: 3.03–9.21) more likely to experience T. gondii infection than those washed their hands after cat contact. The RF analysis showed that washing hands constitute a serious yet preventable public health concern that requires targeted, community-specific efforts. Cat owners, particularly pregnant women, need to be aware about the risk of T. gondii infection, while handling cat and pet's owner should be advised to take necessary hygienic measures to prevent its infection. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T21:55:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4835bc99152b40749eb5d06fc83cac07 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2297-1769 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T21:55:08Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Veterinary Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-4835bc99152b40749eb5d06fc83cac072023-03-24T06:09:18ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Veterinary Science2297-17692023-03-011010.3389/fvets.2023.11476141147614Interplay between cross sectional analysis of risk factors associated with Toxoplasma gondii infection in pregnant women and their domestic catsEman A. A. Hassanen0Dennis N. Makau1Mohamed Afifi2Mohamed Afifi3Omar A. Al-Jabr4Mohammed Abdulrahman Alshahrani5Ahmed Saif6Reham G. A. Anter7Wafaa M. El-Neshwy8Doaa Ibrahim9Rasha M. M. Abou Elez10Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, EgyptDepartment of Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United StatesDepartment of Animal Wealth Development, Biostatistics Section, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, EgyptDepartment of Health Management, Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, PEI, CanadaDepartment of Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Najran University, Najran, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Najran University, Najran, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, EgyptDepartment of Animal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, EgyptDepartment of Nutrition and Clinical Nutrition, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt0Department of Zoonoses, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, EgyptToxoplasmosis is a global zoonotic disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii). The primary aim of this study was to identify hygienic and cat management practices that could affect the occurrence of T. gondii in cats and their owners in Sharqia Governorate, Egypt. T. gondii infection was evaluated in 80 pregnant women and 29 domestic cats using Real-time PCR. A questionnaire was administered to obtain information regarding the risk factors associated with T. gondii infection. Blood samples were collected from enrolled pregnant women, and fecal samples were collected from their pet cats. Firth logistic regression model complemented with random forest (RF) analysis was used to evaluate the association of different hygiene and cat management practices with T. gondii infection in pregnant women. T. gondii infection was identified in 27.5% of pregnant women and 17% of domestic cats. Drinking raw milk and contacting stray and pet cats were significantly associated with higher odds of T. gondii infection. The proportion of T. gondii-positive women who ate raw meat (60.0%) was higher than those ate heat-cooked meat (25.3%). Moreover, women who did not wash their hands after contact with cats were 6 times (OR 6.12; CI: 3.03–9.21) more likely to experience T. gondii infection than those washed their hands after cat contact. The RF analysis showed that washing hands constitute a serious yet preventable public health concern that requires targeted, community-specific efforts. Cat owners, particularly pregnant women, need to be aware about the risk of T. gondii infection, while handling cat and pet's owner should be advised to take necessary hygienic measures to prevent its infection.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2023.1147614/fulltoxoplasmaPCRcathumanrisk factor |
| spellingShingle | Eman A. A. Hassanen Dennis N. Makau Mohamed Afifi Mohamed Afifi Omar A. Al-Jabr Mohammed Abdulrahman Alshahrani Ahmed Saif Reham G. A. Anter Wafaa M. El-Neshwy Doaa Ibrahim Rasha M. M. Abou Elez Interplay between cross sectional analysis of risk factors associated with Toxoplasma gondii infection in pregnant women and their domestic cats Frontiers in Veterinary Science toxoplasma PCR cat human risk factor |
| title | Interplay between cross sectional analysis of risk factors associated with Toxoplasma gondii infection in pregnant women and their domestic cats |
| title_full | Interplay between cross sectional analysis of risk factors associated with Toxoplasma gondii infection in pregnant women and their domestic cats |
| title_fullStr | Interplay between cross sectional analysis of risk factors associated with Toxoplasma gondii infection in pregnant women and their domestic cats |
| title_full_unstemmed | Interplay between cross sectional analysis of risk factors associated with Toxoplasma gondii infection in pregnant women and their domestic cats |
| title_short | Interplay between cross sectional analysis of risk factors associated with Toxoplasma gondii infection in pregnant women and their domestic cats |
| title_sort | interplay between cross sectional analysis of risk factors associated with toxoplasma gondii infection in pregnant women and their domestic cats |
| topic | toxoplasma PCR cat human risk factor |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2023.1147614/full |
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