Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite with domestic or free-living members of family Felidae known as the only definitive hosts of the parasite. The study aimed to evaluate the seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in selected population groups in Slovakia and to analyse the infection risk factors. Totally 1536 serum samples of voluntary respondents were examined by EIA Toxoplasma IgG (Test-Line Ltd., Clinical Diagnostics, Brno, Czech Republic). IgG antibodies to T. gondii were detected in 322 (21.0%) sera, with the highest seropositivity recorded among farmers (42.5%) and hunters (28.5%). According to age, the highest seropositivity was recorded in 12-18-year-old Roma children (46.2%), what confirms increased risk of infection in this minority that often lives in inadequate hygiene conditions. When only adult participants were taken into account, the highest seroprevalence was observed in the age group of ≥ 70 years. Higher risk of infection (p < 0.05) was connected with cat ownership, living in rural residency and consumption of raw meat and meat processing. The results underline the importance of preventive measures and ongoing need to improve the knowledge on toxoplasmosis in both professionals and public.

中文翻译：

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斯洛伐克部分人群中弓形虫血清阳性率的横断面研究。

弓形虫是专性的细胞内原生动物寄生虫，具有Felidae家族的家庭或自由生活成员，被称为该寄生虫的唯一定性宿主。该研究旨在评估斯洛伐克某些人群的弓形虫病血清流行率，并分析感染危险因素。通过EIA弓形虫IgG（捷克共和国布尔诺市的临床诊断公司，Test-Line Ltd.）对总共1536名自愿应答者的血清样本进行了检查。在322（21.0％）血清中检测到弓形虫的IgG抗体，在农民（42.5％）和猎人（28.5％）中记录到最高的血清阳性。根据年龄，血清阳性率最高的是12-18岁的罗姆儿童（占46.2％），这证实了这一经常生活在卫生条件不佳的少数民族中感染风险增加。如果仅考虑成年参与者，则在≥70岁的年龄组中观察到最高的血清阳性率。感染的风险较高（p <0.05）与猫的所有权，在农村居住的居住以及生肉和肉加工的消费有关。结果强调了预防措施的重要性以及不断提高专业人员和公众对弓形虫病知识的需求。