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Moafa HN, Altemani AH, Alaklabi A, Ghailan KY, Alshabi A, Darraj MA, Fadlalmola HA. The Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in Saudi Arabia (1994-2023): A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Epidemiol Glob Health 2024:10.1007/s44197-024-00314-5. [PMID: 39388058 DOI: 10.1007/s44197-024-00314-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2024] [Accepted: 09/30/2024] [Indexed: 10/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasmosis is one of the most common parasites affecting humans in diverse populations caused by T. gondii. This study aims to systematically review and analyze the prevalence of T. gondii infection among various population categories in Saudi Arabia. Our search was done in five databases: PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Web of Science to find the relevant studies from inception to November 2023. The pooled prevalence of toxoplasmosis among the total population living in Saudi Arabia was estimated using a random-effect meta-analysis approach, and Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software was utilized for this analysis. Our study included 30 case-control and retrospective studies published from 1994 to 2023 involving 20,699 patients from different regions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Various cities were included, such as Al-Ahsa, Najran, Riyadh, Arar, Mecca, al Khobar, Mushait, Tabuk, jazan, Hail City, Almadinah Almunawwarah, AL-Ahsa, and Abha; 27 reported outcomes related to IgG seroprevalence, revealing an overall toxoplasmosis prevalence of 27.5% in Saudi Arabia. Fifteen studies that measured IgM seroprevalence found an overall toxoplasmosis prevalence of 2.2%. Specifically for pregnant women, IgG seroprevalence was 28%. Among different age categories, the highest toxoplasmosis prevalence was observed in the group aged 31-45 years, reaching 32.5%, while the lowest prevalence was in the 10-20 years category at 19.3%. Regarding gravidity, the grand multi-gravida group exhibited the highest prevalence at 32.9%, with an upper limit of 47.8%. Furthermore, individuals who consumed freshwater demonstrated a higher incidence than those drinking bottled water, with respective prevalence rates of 33.5% and 29.4%. In conclusion, the prevalence of toxoplasmosis in Saudi Arabia is lower than the global average, with significant variations across different age groups, water sources, and dietary habits. Targeted educational programs and public health interventions are essential to raise awareness and reduce the risk of T. gondii infection. Future research should focus on improving study quality and exploring the broader implications of toxoplasmosis on public health in Saudi Arabia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hassan N Moafa
- Department of Public Health, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Jazan University, 82912, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.
- Department of Quality and Patients Safety, Jazan University Hospital, Jazan University, 82913, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Abdullah H Altemani
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tabuk, 47713, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ali Alaklabi
- King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Science, 11426, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- King Abdullah International Medical Research, 11481, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Medicine, King Abdulaziz Medical City, 14611, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Khalid Y Ghailan
- Department of Public Health, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Jazan University, 82912, Jazan, Saudi Arabia
| | - Alkhansa Alshabi
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, College of Nursing and Health Science, Jazan University, 82911, Jazan, Saudi Arabia
| | - Majid Ahmed Darraj
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Jazan University, 82913, Jazan, Saudi Arabia
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Kazemi F, Arjmand R, Dousti M, Karami MF, Barzegar G, Mohammadi A, Shams M. Toxoplasma and Risk of Spontaneous Abortion: A Meta-Analysis in A Population of Iranian Women. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FERTILITY & STERILITY 2023; 17:7-11. [PMID: 36617196 PMCID: PMC9807898 DOI: 10.22074/ijfs.2022.542410.1219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is found as an intracellular protozoan parasite in the Apicomplexa phylum that can be transmitted to the fetus and causes miscarriage, infection, and asymptomatic neonatal disease. In the present study, we characterized the seroprevalence rate of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in a population of Iranian women with a recent a spontaneous abortion. We examined our national and international databases including Irandoc, Magiran, SID, Medlib, Scopus, PubMed, and the Science Direct. The search strategy was carried out by using keywords and MeSH terms. The statistical analysis was performed by STATA 14.2. By using the random effects model and the fixed effects model the statistical analysis was performed while the heterogeneity was ≥75 and ≤50%, respectively. We used the chi-squared test and I2 index to calculate heterogeneity among studies, and for evaluating publication bias, Funnel plots and Egger tests were used. The seroprevalence positive rate of IgG among women who had experienced abortion was observed 32% [95% confidence interval (CI): 20-45%] based on the random-effects model. The seroprevalence positive rate of IgM based on the fixed-effect model and positive IgG rate based on the random-effect model was evaluated 4% (95% CI: 3-6%) and 32% (9% CI: 3-42%) among women immediately after an abortion, respectively. According to the finding of our study, toxoplasmosis can be one of the most significant causes of abortion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fourogh Kazemi
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Reza Arjmand
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran,P.O.Box: 613545ـDepartment of ParasitologyFaculty
of MedicineAhvaz Jundishapur University of Medical SciencesAhvazIranP.O.Box: 7134814336Department of Parasitology and MycologyFaculty of MedicineShiraz University of medical sciencesShirazIran
Emails:,
| | - Majid Dousti
- Department of Parasitology and Mycology, Faculty of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran,P.O.Box: 613545ـDepartment of ParasitologyFaculty
of MedicineAhvaz Jundishapur University of Medical SciencesAhvazIranP.O.Box: 7134814336Department of Parasitology and MycologyFaculty of MedicineShiraz University of medical sciencesShirazIran
Emails:,
| | - Maryam Fasihi Karami
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Gholamreza Barzegar
- Department of Parasitology and Mycology, Faculty of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Alireza Mohammadi
- Department of Disease Control, Komijan Treatment and Health Network, Arak University of Medical Science, Arak, Iran
| | - Morteza Shams
- Zoonotic Diseases Research Center, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran
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Rasheed Z, Shariq A, AlQefari GB, Alwahbi GS, Aljuaythin AI, Alsuhibani FS, Alotaibi DF, Aljohani SS, Alghasham R, Alsaeed T, Alharbi NA, Rugaie OA, Abdulmonem WA, Sharaf OF. Toxoplasmosis in immunocompetent Saudi women: Correlation with vitamin D. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2021; 17:17455065211043844. [PMID: 34541980 PMCID: PMC8451252 DOI: 10.1177/17455065211043844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Objective: Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is a life-threatening parasite particularly infecting the immunocompromised women. Deficiency of vitamin D is well reported in several infectious disorders. This study was undertaken to investigate a correlation of vitamin D deficiency with the onset of T. gondii infection in immunocompetent women from the central of Saudi Arabia. Methods: Blood samples were collected from 304 Saudi women from the Qassim region of Saudi Arabia. Specific immunoassays were used to determine the levels of T. gondii immunoglobulin G and vitamin D. The SPSS and the Prism Graph Pad statistical software were used for the data analysis. Results: Out of 304 women, 18.8% were found to be positive for toxoplasmosis. Interestingly, the serum levels of vitamin D in toxoplasma positive cases were found to be significantly low as compared with the levels of vitamin D in toxoplasma negative cases. Moreover, sociodemographic risk factors such as age, residence location, and consumption of fruits/vegetables were also found to be associated with vitamin D deficiency and with the seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis. Conclusion: This study investigated a direct correlation of vitamin D deficiency with the severity of the toxoplasmosis in Saudi women. Therefore, it is predicted that vitamin D supplementation may provide protection against toxoplasma infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zafar Rasheed
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Qassim University, Buraidah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ali Shariq
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Qassim University, Buraidah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ghaida B AlQefari
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Qassim University, Buraidah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ghayda S Alwahbi
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Qassim University, Buraidah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Amal I Aljuaythin
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Qassim University, Buraidah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Fidaa S Alsuhibani
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Qassim University, Buraidah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Daliyah F Alotaibi
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Qassim University, Buraidah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Shahad S Aljohani
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Qassim University, Buraidah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ruqiah Alghasham
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Qassim University, Buraidah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Thamir Alsaeed
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Qassim University, Buraidah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Nada A Alharbi
- Departments of Basic Medical Sciences, Pathology and Microbiology, Unaizah College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Unaizah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Osamah Al Rugaie
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Unaizah College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Unaizah, Saudi Arabia.,College of Medicine, Qassim University, Buraidah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Waleed Al Abdulmonem
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Qassim University, Buraidah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Osama F Sharaf
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Parasitology, National Liver Institute, Menoufia University, Al Minufya, Egypt
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