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Toxoplasma gondii Infection in the United States, 1999–2004, Decline from the Prior Decade

Toxoplasma gondii can cause congenital, neurologic, ocular, and mild or asymptomatic infection. To determine the U.S. prevalence of T. gondii infection, we tested sera collected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2004 for T. gondii immunoglobulin G antibodies in persons 6–49 years old and contrasted the results to those comparable in NHANES III (1988–1994) (ages 12–49 years). Of the 17,672 persons examined in NHANES 1999–2004, 15,960 (90%) were tested. The age-adjusted T. gondii seroprevalence among persons 6–49 years old was 10.8% (95% confidence limits [CL] 9.6%, 11.9%), and among women 15–44 years old, 11.0% (95% CL 9.5%, 12.4%). T. gondii seroprevalence declined from 14.1% to 9.0% (P < 0.001) from NHANES III to NHANES 1999–2004 among U.S.-born persons ages 12–49 years. Although T. gondii infects many persons in the U.S., the prevalence has declined in the past decade.

Received April 10, 2007. Accepted for publication June 7, 2007.

Acknowledgments: The authors thank Erica Christian and Christopher Burns for their technical assistance with T. gondii serologic testing.

Disclaimer: The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the Department of Health and Human Services or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

^* Address correspondence to Jeffrey L. Jones, Division of Parasitic Diseases, National Center for Zoonotic, Vectorborne, and Enteric Diseases, CCID, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mail-stop F-22, 4770 Buford Highway NE, Atlanta, GA. E-mail: jljl{at}cdc.gov

Authors’ addresses: Jeffrey L. Jones, Division of Parasitic Diseases, National Center for Zoonotic, Vectorborne, and Enteric Diseases, CCID, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mailstop F-22, 4770 Buford Highway NE, Atlanta, GA 30341-3724, Telephone: +1 (770) 488-7771, Fax: +1 (770) 488-7761, E-mail: jlj1{at}cdc.gov. Deanna Kruszon-Moran, Division of Health and Nutrition Examination Statistics, National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HYAT Bldg. IV, Rm. 4308, MS P08, Hyattsville, MD 20782, Telephone: +1 (301) 458-4328, Fax: +1 (301) 458-4029, E-mail: ddk0{at}cdc.gov. Kolby Sanders-Lewis and Marianna Wilson, Division of Parasitic Diseases, National Center for Zoonotic, Vectorborne, and Enteric Diseases, CCID, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mailstop F-36, 4770 Buford Highway NE, Atlanta, GA 30341-3724, Phone: +1 (770) 488-4431, Fax: +1 (770) 488-3115, E-mail: myw1{at}cdc.gov.

Reprint requests: Jeffrey L. Jones, Division of Parasitic Diseases National Center for Zoonotic, Vectorborne, and Enteric Diseases, CCID, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mailstop F-22, 4770 Buford Highway NE, Atlanta, GA 30341-3724, Telephone: +1 (770) 488-7771, Fax: +1 (770) 488-7761, E-mail: jlj1{at}cdc.gov.