Toxoplasma, Cytomegalovirus and Rubella Infections among Aborted Women Attending Sohag University Hospital, Egypt

Ahmed, Noha S.; Ahmed, Heba A.; Mohammed, Nesreen A.; Mohamed, Hameda H.

doi:10.21608/ejmm.2023.285263

Toxoplasma, Cytomegalovirus and Rubella Infections among Aborted Women Attending Sohag University Hospital, Egypt

Document Type : New and original researches in the field of Microbiology.

Authors

¹ Departments of Medical Parasitology,, Faculty of Medicine, Sohag University, Egypt

² Departments of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Sohag University, Egypt

³ Departments of Public Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Sohag University, Egypt

⁴ Departments of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Sohag University, Egypt

10.21608/ejmm.2023.285263

Abstract

Background: Undesirable fetal outcomes and reproductive failures may follow Toxoplasma, Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Rubella infections. Objective: Detection of Toxoplasma, Rubella and CMV infections among aborted women attending Sohag University Hospital and to determine factors related to these infections. Methodology: Blood samples were gathered from 121 aborted women attended the hospital, from June 2016 to February 2017. Samples were examined for specific IgM and IgG antibodies against Toxoplasma, Rubella, and CMV by Chemiluminescent Microparticle Immunoassay (CMIA) technology. Results: About two thirds (64.5%) of participants were positive for at least one of the studied infections. The specific IgM antibodies were positive in 1 case for Toxoplasma, 3 cases for Rubella, and 5 cases for CMV. Specific IgG antibodies were positive in 45 cases for Toxoplasma, 33 cases for Rubella, and 48 cases for CMV. Multiple logistic regression analysis identified that rural residence was significantly linked to Toxoplasma (OR=8.35, p-value <0.001), CMV (OR=2.26, p-value = 0.042), Rubella (OR = 3.7, p-value=0.003) infections. Seropositivity for multiple infections was detected in 33.1% of participants. Rural residence and high parity were significantly connected with multiple infections (p-value <0.001 and 0.045 respectively). Conclusion: Infection with the studied agents is highly prevalent (64.5%) among the studied women where antibodies against Toxoplasma, Rubella virus and CMV were found in different proportions (38 %, 29.8 %, and 43.8 % respectively). Rural residence is a strong predictor of these infections. Hence the country's health authorities must be alerted, and preventive measures should be taken.

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