Seropositividad a Toxoplasma gondii en adultos del área metropolitana de Monterrey: reporte preliminar.

Human toxoplasmosis has worldwide distribution and its prevalence depends upon climatic, geographic, hygienic and cultural factors. Objectives: To know the toxoplasmosis seroprevalence among adult population from 18 to 45 years old and to know and to analyze by a questionnaire the ranking of risk factors of toxoplasmosis acquisition among those people. Material and methods. We performed a transversal serologic survey to determine the presence of anti-toxoplasma antibodies in a sample of 400 individuals of both sexes, between 18 and 45 years of age, from the metropolitan area of Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. Results: By using an ELISA test we detected lgG-antibodies and found an overall seropositivity of 20.5%. The seropositivity rate increased with the age of tested individuals. Conclusions: Our data show a similar, somewhat lower seropositivity (20.5 vs 24.8%) compared to that reported by the National Seropidemiologic Survey in 1992 for the state of Nuevo León. These preliminarily reported data belong to a larger survey for the identification of risk factors involved in the transmission of toxoplasmosis in a semi-desertic, urban area like that of Monterrey. Thus, besides the well known cat-related mechanisms of transmission, we also stress the need to recognize the potential role of some other mechanisms which sometimes go underestimated or unrecognized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]