Analysis on the population characteristics of  Toxoplasma gondii infection in Shanxi province

Objective　The study was conducted to investigate the current status of human IToxoplasma gondii/I infection in special and general populations in Shanxi province, so as to provide the scientific basis for the policy making of toxoplasmosis control and prevention. Methods　Ten cities in Shanxi province were selected as the investigation spots. The study subjects were divided into special group (the people exposed to 9 IToxoplasma gondii/I infection factors) and general group (the people living in the same area and with the same number), and the questionnaire survey was conducted among them at the investigation spots. The blood samples were taken from them to detect IToxoplasma gondii/I antibody IgG. The data were entered by Epi Data 2.3 and analyzed by SPSS 13.0. Results　The total positive rate of IToxoplasma gondii/I antibody was 12.69%. The positive rate of special group (excluding pregnant women) was 16.37%, which was obviously higher than that of general group. The positive rates among animal keepers, immunodeficiency patients, veterinarians, butchers in special group were relatively higher. The positive rate in pregnant women was lower. IToxoplasma gondii/I infection rate in Yangquan city (25.69%) was the highest in special group, and the infection rates in Changzhi city(22.92%),Yuncheng city (20.95%) ranked top two places in general group. The male infection rate (14.93%) was higher than female one (10.97%) in special group. The infection rate increased with the increase of age. Among special group, the infection rate of retirees (27.27%) was the highest, followed by that of farmers (15.60%); the infection rate among students (3.45%) was the lowest. Conclusion　The overall infection rate of Toxoplasma gondii in Shanxi province was higher than the national average level. The positive rate among special population (excluding pregnant women) was higher than that of general population. The infection rates among the people with occupational contact with animals and the immunodeficiency patients were much higher than that among other special populations. The infection rates among special populations were different by gender, age and occupation. The human infection rates varied by regions.