Toxoplasmosis in pregnant women in Sanliurfa, Southeastern Anatolia City, Turkey.

Blood samples from 1149 pregnant women (age 26.9 +/- 5.3 years; mean 20 weeks gestation) on their first prenatal visit to Obstetrics and Gynecology Department and analyzed for Toxoplasma-specific immunoglobulin (IgM) and immunoglobulin (IgG) by ELISA. 694 (60.4%) of the women were IgG-positive, indicating previous maternal infection, while 35 (3%) were IgM-positive, indicating recent infection, and 420 (38.9%) were sero-negative. The high sero-positive rate may be linked to traditional raw meat consumption. Treatment with spiramycin was effective in preventing congenital toxoplasmosis in children of sero-positive mothers who consented to treatment.