Toxoplasmosis in pregnant women in Crete |
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Authors: | Antoniou M Tzouvali H Sifakis S Galanakis E Georgopoulou E Tselentis Y |
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Institution: | Laboratory of Clinical Bacteriology, Parasitology, Zoonoses and Geographical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Crete, 71003 Greece. antoniou@med.uoc.gr |
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Abstract: | In Greece there are no official recommendations concerning the management of pregnant women for the prevention of congenital toxoplasmosis. A protocol for monitoring pregnant women was designed in order to differentiate between acute and latent toxoplasmosis and was tested successfully for 7 years. The maternofetal transmission rate in Crete was assessed and a map showing seroprevalence of pregnant women in all prefectures of Greece was prepared. The high seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in Greece (up to 46% in some areas) may be explained by: (a) the presence of a great number of stray cats; (b) the Greek diet consisting of large amounts of raw, wild vegetables and salads that could easily be contaminated with oocysts; (c) the high consumption of meat, smoked pork and sausages, well-documented sources of T. gondii infection. T. gondii genotypes were characterized, directly from clinical samples, after PCR-RFLP on the SAG2 gene and sequence analysis at the restriction sites. They belonged to all 3 clonal lineages. |
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