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Volume 13, Number 3—March 2007
Letter

Toxoplasma gondii, Brazil

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To the Editor

Recently, Jones et al. reported that past pregnancies increased risk for recent Toxoplasma gondii infection in Brazil (1). They did not, however, control for age. Previous seroepidemiologic studies have shown that age is a main confounding variable in analysis of risk factors for toxoplasmosis (2). Age can explain why mothers with more children are at higher risk for toxoplasmosis; the longer persons live in areas with high toxoplasmosis prevalence, the higher their risk for infection.

Also not explored were drinking water–related factors. Our recent study of pregnant women in Quindio, Colombia, found factors that explained attributable risk percent for infection to be eating rare meat (0.26%) and having contact with a cat <6 months of age (0.19%) (3). Drinking bottled water was more significantly protective for the group that did not consume undercooked or raw meat (odds ratio 0.06, 95% confidence interval 0.006–0.560, p = 0.008). We think that drinking water–related factors could explain up to 50% of toxoplasmosis infections in our region.

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Jorge Gomez-Marin*Comments to Author 
Author affiliation: *Universidad del Quindio, Armenia, Quindio, Colombia

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References

  1. Jones JL, Muccioli C, Belfort RJr, Holland GN, Roberts JM, Silveira C. Recently acquired Toxoplasma gondii infection, Brazil.Emerg Infect Dis. 2006;12:5826.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  2. Juliao O, Corredor A, Moreno GS. National study of health: toxoplasmosis in Colombia, Ministry of Health [in Spanish]. Bogota: National Institute of Health Press; 1988.
  3. Lopez-Castillo CA, Diaz-Ramirez J, Gomez-Marín JE. Risk factors for Toxoplasma gondii infection in pregnant women in Armenia, Colombia[in Spanish]. Rev Salud Publica (Bogota). 2005;7:18090. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar

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Cite This Article

DOI: 10.3201/eid1303.060599

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Table of Contents – Volume 13, Number 3—March 2007

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Comments

Please use the form below to submit correspondence to the authors or contact them at the following address:

Jorge Gomez-Marin, Universidad del Quindio, Centro de Investigaciones Biomedicas, Av Bolivar 12N Armenia 00, Quindio, Colombia;

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Page created: June 29, 2010
Page updated: June 29, 2010
Page reviewed: June 29, 2010
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
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