Seroprevalence of Toxoplasmosis and rubella infection among women of childbearing age in Makkah Province, Saudi Arabia: a five-year, retrospective study

BACKGROUND:

Toxoplasmosis, an opportunistic intracellular protozoan infection caused by
Toxoplasma gondii
(
T. gondii
), and rubella, caused by the rubella virus (RV) are the two most common TORCH infections.



OBJECTIVES:

To evaluate seroprevalence of
T. gondii
and rubella infection among child bearing age women.



DESIGN:
Retrospective design


SETTINGS:
Multi-center study


PATIENTS AND METHODS:
The study included women of childbearing age living in the Western region of Saudi Arabia, who sought medical check-up in one of the governmental public hospitals. Electronic health records of eligible patients were reviewed during the period January 2017 to December 2021 from three major health care institutions.


MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:

Seroprevalence of
T. gondii
and rubella infection among women of childbearing age in the Western region of Saudi Arabia.



SAMPLE SIZE:
13 895 women were screened and 2117 women of childbearing age were eligible.


RESULTS:

Among the 2117 women, seropositive-antibodies-results for
T. gondii
were 148 (6.1%) for IgG antibodies anti-Toxo-IgG-antibodies, 16 (0.8%) for anti-Toxo-IgM-antibodies, and 14 (0.7%) for anti-Toxo-IgG and IgM-antibodies. Univariate analysis showed that the highest proportion of IgG+ women were recorded among 35–39 years of age followed by 25–29 years. The highest proportion of IgM+ was observed among 40–44 years old followed by 35–39 years. Among the women tested for rubella seroprevalence, 16 (0.8%) were IgM positive, 1346 (63.6%) were immune (IgG positive), and the remaining 755 (35.7%) were susceptible. Rubella immunity was moderately high (63.6%) but dropped significantly with increasing age.



CONCLUSION:
The seroprevalence of Toxoplasmosis in our study appears to be lower than the global average. Nevertheless, it highlights the need for targeted educational programs and public health initiatives with interventions to raise awareness in the community. Rubella immunity, while moderately high overall, showed a notable decline with increasing age, highlighting regular assessment of rubella vaccination programs in the country to ensure effective prevention and control of the disease. The study highlights the need for future research focusing on the epidemiologic trends of TORCH infections, given their broader implications on public health in Saudi Arabia.


LIMITATIONS:
The seroprevalence results were based on a small sample size living in the Western region of Saudi Arabia and may not reflect other regions in the country.