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

Jeffrey L. Jones Division of Parasitic Diseases, National Center for Zoonotic, Vectorborne, and Enteric Diseases, CCID, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Division of Health and Nutrition Examination Statistics, National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hyattsville, Maryland

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Deanna Kruszon-Moran Division of Parasitic Diseases, National Center for Zoonotic, Vectorborne, and Enteric Diseases, CCID, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Division of Health and Nutrition Examination Statistics, National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hyattsville, Maryland

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Kolby Sanders-Lewis Division of Parasitic Diseases, National Center for Zoonotic, Vectorborne, and Enteric Diseases, CCID, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Division of Health and Nutrition Examination Statistics, National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hyattsville, Maryland

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Marianna Wilson Division of Parasitic Diseases, National Center for Zoonotic, Vectorborne, and Enteric Diseases, CCID, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Division of Health and Nutrition Examination Statistics, National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hyattsville, Maryland

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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.

Author Notes

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@cdc.gov.
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