Seroprevalence of Toxoplasmosis and Factors Related to Foodborne Diseases in Workers in Animal Processing Plants in Five Capital Cities in Colombia, 2008
The National Institute of Health of Colombia, to determine the prevalence of toxoplasmosis in slaughterhouse workers, determined the antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii in the target population. The objective was to determine the seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in workers in animal processing plants in five cities during 2008, by the ELFA technique (Enzyme Linked Fluorescent Assay). It conducted a cross sectional study in 400 workers randomly selected in animal processing plants operating in the clean area.
In the 400 workers surveyed, it was found a seroprevalence of 71.8% (287) of IgG antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii and 2.8% (8) of IgM antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii, the latter residing in the cities of Bogota, BucaramangaMedellin (2 cases each), Monteria and Restrepo (one case each). The highest percentage of IgG positive for anti- Toxoplasma gondii was found in the cities of Restrepo and Villavicencio. The risks of exposure to toxoplasmosisresulted from not wearing full protective materials, food not properly washed, the consumption of undercookedmeat, exposure to animals, and ground handling.
