Abstract:
A survey was conducted to determine the occurrence of risk factors for Toxoplasma gondii
infection amongst farmers in Thika District, Kenya. Interviews were conducted in a total of
385 households using a structured questionnaire. The water consumed at household level
originated from taps (74.3%), rivers or streams (15.1%), wells (5.4%) and boreholes (5.2%).
A number of households (46.8%) consumed water without boiling or applying any form of
treatment. All respondents washed vegetables before cooking, whilst 99.0% washed fruits
before eating. Boiled milk was preferred by 99.5% of the farmers. The majority (85.2%)
consumed beef more often, whilst 1.6% consumed pork. The majority (98.7%) consumed
thoroughly cooked meat. Meat was preserved by 17% of farmers. Only four farmers (1.2%)
who practised mixed farming used gloves when handling livestock manure. Five farmers
(1.6%) reported the occurrence of abortion in ruminants and pigs on their farms within the
last two years before the study. Almost half (44.9%) of the households owned cats, which were
kept mainly as pets (79.8%) and for deterring rodents (20.2%). The majority of households
(91.3%) fed the cats on leftovers, whilst 8.1% fed cats with raw offal. Sixteen households
(9.2%) provided housing for cats. Only five households (2.8%) had litter boxes, but none of
the households with litter boxes used gloves when cleaning them out. Disposal of cat faeces
was done mainly by women (55.5%). Only one farmer (0.3%) had some knowledge about
toxoplasmosis, but was not aware of the transmission mechanism. The study highlights the
need for public health education to raise awareness of risk factors for toxoplasmosis.
