RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Seroepidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii in pregnant women in Aguascalientes City, Mexico: a cross-sectional study JF BMJ Open JO BMJ Open FD British Medical Journal Publishing Group SP e012409 DO 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-012409 VO 6 IS 7 A1 Alvarado-Esquivel, Cosme A1 Terrones-Saldívar, María del Carmen A1 Hernández-Tinoco, Jesús A1 Muñoz-Terrones, María Daniela Enriqueta A1 Gallegos-González, Roberto Oswaldo A1 Sánchez-Anguiano, Luis Francisco A1 Reyes-Robles, Martha Elena A1 Jaramillo-Juárez, Fernando A1 Liesenfeld, Oliver A1 Estrada-Martínez, Sergio YR 2016 UL http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/6/7/e012409.abstract AB Objectives We determined the seroprevalence and correlates of Toxoplasma gondii infection in pregnant women in Aguascalientes City, Mexico.Design A cross-sectional survey.Setting Pregnant women were enrolled in the central Mexican city of Aguascalientes.Participants We studied 338 pregnant women who attended prenatal care in 3 public health centres.Primary and secondary outcome measures Women were examined for IgG/IgM antibodies to T. gondii by using commercially available enzyme immunoassays, and an avidity test. Multiple analyses were used to determine the association of T. gondii seropositivity with the characteristics of the pregnant women.Results Of the 338 pregnant women studied, 21 (6.2%) had IgG antibodies to T. gondii, and 1 (4.8%) of them was also positive for IgM antibodies to T. gondii. Avidity of IgG antibodies to T. gondii was high in the IgM-positive sample. Logistic regression analysis of sociodemographic, behavioural and housing variables showed that T. gondii seropositivity was associated with white ethnicity (OR=149.4; 95% CI 10.8 to 2054.1; p<0.01), not washing hands before eating (OR=6.41; 95% CI 1.73 to 23.6; p=0.005) and use of latrine (OR=37.6; 95% CI 4.63 to 306.31; p=0.001).Conclusions Results demonstrate that pregnant women in Aguascalientes City have a low seroprevalence of T. gondii infection. However, this low prevalence indicates that most pregnant women are at risk for a primary infection. Factors associated with T. gondii exposure found in this study, including food hygiene, may be useful to determine preventive measures against T. gondii infection and its sequelae.