Knowledge of toxoplasmosis among doctors and nurses who provide prenatal care in an endemic region

Knowledge and practices of toxoplasmosis among healthcare workers at two large referral hospitals in Zambia: Implications on the One Health Approach

INTRODUCTION

Assessing the knowledge and practices of healthcare workers regarding Toxoplasma gondii infection, diagnosis, treatment, and control is crucial for developing an effective management strategy.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 175 healthcare workers at Ndola Teaching Hospital and Namwala District Hospital in Zambia from September 2021 to April 2022.

RESULTS

More than half (57.1%) of the respondents were males. Overall, 46(26.3%) and 68 (38.9%) respondents reported good knowledge and practices, respectively. Respondents with a higher number of years of experience (AOR = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.77-0.97), who were nurses than clinicians (AOR = 0.17, 95% CI: 0.007-0.41) and working at Ndola teaching hospital than Namwala hospital (AOR = 0.34, 95% CI:0.13-0.89) were less likely to have good knowledge. Respondents with a degree qualification than a diploma (AOR = 3.04, 95% CI: 1.09-8.47) were more likely to have good knowledge. Respondents from Ndola teaching hospital than Namwala hospital (AOR = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.17-0.92) were less likely to have good practices.

CONCLUSION

Our study revealed that healthcare workers had low levels of knowledge and poor practices, which could have negative implications for the management of toxoplasmosis. To improve their knowledge and practices, continuous medical education in Toxoplasma related aspects is recommended for in-service healthcare workers.

Hygiene measures as primary prevention of toxoplasmosis during pregnancy: A systematic review

Background Hygiene measures are recommended to prevent toxoplasmosis during pregnancy, although screening for seroconversion in pregnant women currently are debated and practices vary among countries. Objectives The purpose of this systematic literature review was to assess the effectiveness of hygiene measures during pregnancy to prevent toxoplasmosis infection. Search Strategy We followed the standard MOOSE and PRISMA criteria when conducting this systematic review and reporting the results. Selection criteria A systematic literature search was conducted for studies focused on congenital toxoplasmosis prevention, toxoplasmosis prevention during pregnancy, toxoplasmosis prevention and hygiene measures, which were published between 1970 and August 2020, using the databases of PubMed, Scope Med, EMBASE, and the Cochrane library. Data collection and analysis Our literature search identified 3964 articles, 3757 were excluded after review of title or abstract and 67 studies were considered relevant to the subject. We reviewed risk factors for toxoplasmosis infection during pregnancy and for congenital toxoplasmosis, preventive measures for toxoplasmosis during pregnancy, including: dietary recommendations, pet care measures, environmental measures, knowledge of risk factors and ways to control toxoplasmosis infection, knowledge of risk factors for infection by health professionals, knowledge of primary prevention measures by pregnant women. Conclusion: Hygiene measures are effective and applicable primary prevention to reduce toxoplasmosis and avoid congenital toxoplasmosis and its consequences. Funding No.

Toxoplasmosis and knowledge: what do the Italian women know about?

Toxoplasmosis is a worldwide zoonotic infectious disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii. This infection is estimated to affect about a third of the world's population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge of Italian women about toxoplasmosis and its forms of transmission, clinical manifestations, diagnosis and prevention through two different modalities (e-research and traditional research). In a cross-sectional study, 808 Italian women were interviewed, using a self-administered questionnaire, through two different modalities: an e-research or web survey and a traditional paper research and 84% reported to have heard about toxoplasmosis, but from most of the sample, it resulted that the knowledge of the protozoan disease was superficial and incomplete.The assessment of the dimensionality related to the toxoplasmosis knowledge's instrument showed that the scale is composed by two stable and reliable factors which explain 58.6% of the variance: (a) the basic knowledge (α = 0.83), which explains the 45.2% of the variance and (b) the specialist knowledge (α = 0.71), which explains the 13.4% of the variance. The variance and the multiple linear regression data analysis showed significant predictors of correct basic knowledge of toxoplasmosis: the highest age, the highest degree of study, to have previously contracted illness or to know someone who had contracted it, to be working or to be housewives. In conclusion, this study showed limited awareness of toxoplasmosis and suggested the implementation of effective education and learning programs. The results also showed that online data collection, in academic research, might be a valid alternative to more traditional (paper-and-pencil) surveys.

The first report of the evaluation of the knowledge regarding toxoplasmosis among health professionals in public health centers in Rabat, Morocco

Background

The assessment of the knowledge of Toxoplasma gondii infection among health professionals is essential to design an effective management strategy. The current study was conducted to assess the knowledge and perception of health professionals working in urban public health centers of different parts of Rabat in Morocco.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted from March 15 to June 15, 2017, in urban public health centers selected in the prefecture of Rabat in Morocco. A structured questionnaire was completed by participants and included questions on the epidemiology and diagnosis of toxoplasmosis and clinical issues related to the infection.

Results

Ninety-six health professionals participated, including medical doctors, nurses, midwives, and laboratory technicians. Most of them were female (86, 89.58%). The mean age was 40.51 ± 10.26 years, and the mean length of time working in the field of healthcare was 15.92 ± 8.55 years. Eighty one percent (86, 81.25%) of health professionals knew the agent of toxoplasmosis, and 62 (64.5%) knew the definitive host of the parasite. Regarding clinical symptoms, 55 (57.29%) of the respondents knew that toxoplasmosis is an asymptomatic disease in immunocompetent persons. More than half of the respondents correctly identified the main routes of transmission: eating raw or undercooked meats, unwashed fruits and vegetables, and having direct contact with cats. However, only 29 (30.21%) of them believed that water can be a risk factor for the transmission of toxoplasmosis. Regarding diagnosis, only 14 (14.58%) health professionals knew about the avidity test.

Conclusions

The implementation of educational interventions is recommended to raise awareness of toxoplasmosis among health professionals who provide prenatal care in public health centers.

Toxoplasmosis - Awareness and knowledge among medical doctors in Nigeria

Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic parasite causing high disease burden worldwide. A One Health approach is needed to understand, prevent, and control toxoplasmosis, while knowledge gaps in the One Health aspects have been identified among medical professionals in earlier studies. As a One Health collaboration between veterinary and medical fields, we surveyed the knowledge on toxoplasmosis among medical doctors in Nigeria. The knowledge questions, which the participants answered without consulting literature and colleagues, covered epidemiological One Health aspects as well as clinical interspecialty aspects of T. gondii infections. Altogether 522 medical doctors from four tertiary hospitals completed the questionnaire. The mean number of correct answers in the knowledge questions was 7.5, and 8.4% of the participants selected at least 12 of the 17 correct answers. The proportion of medical doctors scoring such a high score was significantly higher among those who reported having seen a case of clinical toxoplasmosis than in those who did not. While 62% of the medical doctors participating in our study knew that cats can shed T. gondii in their feces, 36% incorrectly suggested that humans could do that too. That T. gondii infection can be meatborne was known by 69%, but that it can be also waterborne only by 28% of the medical doctors participating in our study. Most of the medical doctors, 78%, knew that clinical toxoplasmosis may involve the central nervous system, while only 37% answered that it can involve the eyes. Our results suggested knowledge gaps, which need to be addressed in Continuous Medical Education. The identified gaps included both intersectoral One Health aspects and interspecialty aspects: For prevention and management of toxoplasmosis, knowing the main transmission routes and that the parasite can affect several organs is relevant.

Toxoplasmosis-related knowledge among pregnant and postpartum women attended in public health units in Niterói, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

The present study conducted a toxoplasmosis-related knowledge level survey with 400 pregnant and puerperal women attended in public health units in the municipality of Niterói, Rio de Janeiro. Only 111 (27.8%) women claimed to know about the disease. Most of them (n = 289; 72.2%) had never heard about toxoplasmosis nor knew how to prevent the infection by Toxoplasma gondii. A significant difference (p = 0.013) regarding the presence of anti-T. gondii IgG was observed between women who claimed to know about the disease and those who had never heard about it. These results highlight the importance of a systematic serological screening process for toxoplasmosis, as well as the importance of primary prevention by accurate information during prenatal care, an important Public Health action to be implemented.

Knowledge and practice on Toxoplasma infection in pregnant women from Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand

Toxoplasma gondii, is one of the infectious agents of congenital TORCH infections, causes severe clinical outcomes in fetus and newborns. Nevertheless this life-threatening parasitic disease is preventable by simple preventive measures related to lifestyle during pregnancy. We aim to study on the knowledge about toxoplasmosis and practices that prevents this infection among the pregnant women. Total of 2598 pregnant women from Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand were randomly surveyed to determine the knowledge and their practices on Toxoplasma infection. The questionnaire covered respondents' general information and knowledge on plausible risks factors, symptoms, timing of infection, prevention knowledge, and preventive behavior regarding Toxoplasma infection. Majority of these pregnant women were in their age group of 20-29 years (50.9%), completed secondary level of education (51.7%), in their second trimester of pregnancies (38.1%), non-parous (36.6%), and had no history of abortion (90.4%). Based on this survey, only 11% of these pregnant women had read, heard, or seen information regarding toxoplasmosis and 3.5% of them were aware of being tested for the infection. A small percentage of these pregnant women knew that T. gondii were shed in the feces of infected cats (19.4%) and sometimes found in the raw or undercooked meat (11.0%). There was 16.1% of responding women knew that toxoplasmosis is caused by an infection. Demographic profiles such as age group, level of education, pregnancy term, and number of children of the pregnant women showed significant association with their responses toward prevention knowledge and preventive behavior related questions (P < 0.05). Thus, it is suggested that health education on toxoplasmosis and primary behavioral practices should be consistently offered to reproductive age women in general and pregnant women in particular. This information could help to reduce vertical transmission of Toxoplasma infection during pregnancy.