Prevalence of toxoplasma antibodies according to age with comments on the risk of XXXX .

@entity1 @entity281 @entity1800
Sera from 1661 @entity1 in 12 age groups from 0 to 79 years were titrated for toxoplasma antibodies in the indirect immunofluorescence test. The sera were collected from @entity1 with symptoms suggestive of acute, mainly respiratory, @entity1800 . After the first year of life, the prevalence of antibodies started to rise, reaching 59% between 40 and 79 years of age. From the prevalence of antibodies in different age groups the annual infection risk, i.e, the risk of a non-immune @entity1 acquiring toxoplasma infection, was estimated for successive age periods. The estimated annual infection risk increased from 0 . 5% in early childhood to 3% during adolescence and early adult life. Approximately 70--80% of females entered the age of reproduction without evidence of seroimmunity to toxoplasma. The risk of @entity281 during pregnancy was estimated from the age distribution of parturient @entity1 in The Netherlands in 1975 and the age-specific incidence of @entity281 , i.e. the incidence in the total population of susceptible and immune @entity1 . This incidence of @entity281 decreased from 1 . 62% per 9 months at the age of 17 1/2--20 years to 0 . 37% at the age of 37--45 years. The incidence of @entity281 in pregnant @entity1 was estimated to be 1 . 25%.
