New and old risk-factors for Toxoplasma gondii infection: prospective cross-sectional study among military personnel in the Czech Republic

ABSTRACT The aims of this study were to evaluate seroprevalence and the importance of various risk-factors for Toxoplasma infection in the Czech Republic. A prospective cross-sectional survey was conducted among military personnel in Prague. Consenting subjects ( n = 3250) completed a questionnaire concerning demographics and risk-factors, and blood samples were taken to determine anti- Toxoplasma antibody titres according to complement fixation and ELISA IgG and IgM tests. The seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis was 23%. In multivariate analysis, independent predictors of Toxoplasma seropositivity were age (OR 1.03 / year), consumption of raw meat (OR 1.35), owning a cat (OR 1.25), owning rabbits (OR 1.47), childhood residence in a town with a population of 100 000 inhabitants, and blood group type A (OR 1.28), B (OR 1.33) or AB (OR 1.43) vs. O. These results suggested that horizontal toxoplasmosis transmission in the Czech Republic may occur through consumption of raw meat, contact with cat faeces and farming.