Seroprevalence of Toxocara spp. infection among pregnant women in Jahrom city in Fars province, southern Iran

Toxocara spp. infection can cause systemic and ocular disease in infants and pregnant women. In this study, the seroprevalence and associated risk factors of Toxocara spp. infection were investigated in pregnant women from Jahrom county, Fars province, southern Iran. A total of 220 serum samples from pregnant women were assessed for the presence of Toxocara spp. IgG by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The associated risk factors were obtained using questionnaires. The seroprevalence was 16.36% (36/220) among pregnant women. As such, a statistically significant association was found between age (39 ≤ years old with P-value: 0.009), consuming raw vegetables (P-value: 0.001), and eating raw or undercooked meat (P-value: 0.04). We recommend an appropriate health education program for pregnant women and serological screening for toxocariasis before pregnancy. Moreover, we believed a need for more epidemiological studies for better understand the status of Toxocara spp. in pregnant women.