Abstract:
Toxoplasmosis is a worldwide zoonotic disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii with harmfuleffects on animal and human health. A cross-sectional study was conducted from May 2023 to
March 2024 to estimate the prevalence and associated risk factors of toxoplasmosis among sheepand pregnant women in Injibara town. Serum was collected from ovine and pregnant women.Interview was conducted with eligible mothers to obtain socio-demographic and behavioral datausing structured questionnaires. All factors attributing to T. gondii infection in sheep andpregnant women were analyzed using logistic regression analysis. The seroprevalence of T.
gondii infection in ovine was 47.40%. A significant association was observed betweenseroprevalence and sex, age and flock size. Young ovines (OR: 2.34, (2.00-4.34), P=.000 were2.34 times more likely being infected with T. gondii compared to adult ovine. On the other hand,
female ovines (OR: 1.26, (3.45-8.01, P=.000) were 1.26 times more likely being infected than
male sheep. Whereas above 20 flock size (OR: 3.65, (0.34-7.66, P = 0.041) were 3.65 times morelikely being infected than other flock size. In pregnant women, the T. gondii seroprevalenceswere 59.65%. This study showed high seropositivity for T. gondii among sheep and pregnantwomen in Injibara town. Therefore, further studies on isolation and genotype of the pathogen arecrucial. It also requires action to prevent and control the infection in pregnant women, which
poses a potential threat to the foetus.