Incidence and prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in women in France, 1980–2020: model-based estimation
Epidemiology and Infection·
- DOI
- 10.1017/s0950268813002756
- PMID
- 24229712
- PMCID
- PMC9151203
- OpenAlex
- W2136201171
- Study type
- Cross-sectional study
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
The results indicate a marked long-term decline in Toxoplasma infection burden among French women of childbearing age, suggesting that prevention-relevant exposures (food habits, meat-production hygiene) may have decreased, and the catalytic modelling approach is offered as a tool for evaluating preventive programmes.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
The study aimed to estimate the incidence and prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in women of childbearing age in France from 1980 to 2020, and to estimate the incidence of seroconversion during pregnancy.
Study design
A model-based estimation study using a catalytic model fitted to age- and time-specific seroprevalence data obtained from three National Perinatal Surveys (1995, 2003, 2010), with 2010 seroconversion estimates additionally informed by the National Surveillance of Congenital Toxoplasmosis (ToxoSurv).
Population and setting
Women of childbearing age (15–45 years) in France, with 42,208 women contributing serology data across the three National Perinatal Surveys.
Main findings
Modelled incidence among women aged 30 fell from 7.5 per 1,000 susceptible women in 1980 to 3.5 per 1,000 in 2000, with 2.4 per 1,000 in 2010; predicted 2020 values were 1.6 per 1,000 incidence and 27% prevalence. Seroconversion incidence during pregnancy in 2010 was 2.1 per 1,000 (95% CI 1.3–3.1) from NPS data and 1.9 per 1,000 (95% CI 1.8–2.1) from ToxoSurv.
Public-health relevance
The results indicate a marked long-term decline in Toxoplasma infection burden among French women of childbearing age, suggesting that prevention-relevant exposures (food habits, meat-production hygiene) may have decreased, and the catalytic modelling approach is offered as a tool for evaluating preventive programmes.
Important limitations
The abstract does not enumerate explicit study limitations; this summary is therefore limited to the supplied single-article abstract/metadata and would require the original paper for decision-grade interpretation.
GIDS interpretation
The paper provides methodological context for retrieving historical toxoplasmosis seroprevalence and seroconversion estimates in France via perinatal surveys and congenital toxoplasmosis surveillance; it may assist in locating baseline sources for Toxoplasma-related evidence discovery, but it does not itself constitute a live surveillance signal.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 12 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.