Toxoplasma gondii a zoonotic parasite that is spread Worldwide

Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic parasite whose spread is very wide, almost all over the world, including Indonesia both in humans and animals. Toxoplasma gondii is estimated to have infected 1-80% of the world's population. Although the number of infected people is very large, this infection is not heard in the community or medical, such as COVID-19, dengue fever or malaria. That is because these infections tend to be asymptomatic.

Toxoplasmosis may be widely known among farmers in developed countries because it causes financial losses on livestock, especially sheep and pigs. The large proportion of healthy adults who have been infected with T. gondii in each place varies depending on several factors including: lifestyle, geographical conditions.

 The highest cases of Toxoplasmosis are found in people with HIV / AIDS as well as among pregnant women with a history of recurrent miscarriages, birth defects or mental retardation and other congenital abnormalities.

Epidemiological studies indicate that the prevalence of T. gondii infection in pregnant women varies between countries. In European countries the prevalence of T. gondii infection in pregnant women varies from 9% to 67%, in Asia the prevalence is low in some countries such as Korea and Vietnam, 0.8% and 11.2% but high in India, Malaysia and Nepal ranges from 41.8% to 55.4%. Studies in Sudan show a prevalence of 34.1%, in New Zealand 33%, in Brazil 74.5%, and in Cuba 70.9%. In Indonesia, cases of toxoplasmosis in humans, not just pregnant women, ranged from 43-88%.

Based on the data above it can be seen that the prevalence of T. gondii infection in pregnant women is quite high and is widespread in various countries. The high prevalence is certainly related to the risk of pregnant women to transmit the infection experienced to the fetus or baby. To prevent the transmission of course, it is necessary to know what are the risk factors for T. gondii infection in pregnant women so that they can be minimized.