AN OUTBREAK OF TOXOPLASMOSIS IN PREGNANT-WOMEN IN NORTHERN QUEBEC

An ongoing screening program for toxoplasmosis identified a cluster of four women from northern Quebec who, over a 4-month period, seroconverted during their pregnancy. An epidemiologic investigation was carried out in an attempt to identify the source of this infection. All potential risk factors were assessed by a questionnaire administered to 22 Inuit women who had delivered babies in the previous year. Seroconversion was significantly associated with skinning of animals for fur (P =.015)and frequent consumption of caribou meat (P =.034). Compared to seronegative women, women who were seropositive were more than four times more likely to have eaten dried seal meat (P =.067), more than six times more likely to have eaten seal liver (P =.064), and more than eight times more likely to have consumed raw caribou meat more than once per week (P =.054). These observations have contributed to the development of guidelines for the prevention of toxoplasmosis in seronegative pregnant women in this arctic region. © 1990, University of Chicago. All rights reserved.