The seroepidemiology of infection with Toxoplasma gondii ( T . gondii ) in alcohol consumers is largely undeveloped. In light of this, we sought to determine the seroprevalence of T . gondii infection in alcohol consumers in Durango, Mexico, and the association of T . gondii seroprevalence with characteristics of the population studied. Anti- T . gondii IgG and IgM antibodies were searched in sera of participants using commercially available enzyme immunoassays. Bivariate and logistic regression analyses were then used to determine the association between T . gondii infection and the characteristics of the population studied. Of the 1544 people studied (mean age: 39.4±14.0 years), 173 (11.2%) tested positive for anti- T . gondii IgG antibodies. We were able to test 167 of the 173 anti- T . gondii IgG positive sera for anti- T . gondii IgM antibodies. Fifty-five (32.9%) of these 167 serum samples were positive for anti- T . gondii IgM antibodies. Bivariate analysis showed that visual impairment, history of surgery, and hepatitis were negatively associated with T . gondii IgG seropositivity ( P 150 IU/ml) anti- T . gondii IgG antibodies were associated with consumption of both armadillo meat (OR = 2.25; 95% CI: 1.01–5.02; P = 0.04) and crowding at home (OR = 1.63; 95% CI: 1.02–2.61; P = 0.03). We found a distinct T . gondii seroprevalence in people with alcohol consumption from those previously found in population groups in the region. This is the first study that illustrates the association between high anti- T . gondii antibodies and crowding in Mexico, and the second study on the association between T . gondii infection and consumption of armadillo meat and the use of latrines in this country. We conclude that epidemiology of T . gondii infection in people with alcohol consumption deserves further investigation.
展开▼