57 Rev Soc Bras Med Trop 51(1):57-62, January-February, 2018 doi: 10.1590/0037-8682-0112-2017 Major Article Corresponding author: Dra. Juliana Boaventura Avelar. e-mail: jubavelar@hotmail.com Received 17 May 2017 Accepted 4 January 2017 Epidemiological factors associated with Toxoplasma gondii infection in postpartum women treated in the public healthcare system of Goiânia, State of Goiás, Brazil Juliana Boaventura Avelar [1] , Marcos Gontijo da Silva [2] , Hanstter Hallison Alves Rezende [1] , Heloisa Ribeiro Storchilo [1] , Waldemar Naves do Amaral [3] , Isolina Rodrigues Xavier [3] , Mariza Martins Avelino [3] and Ana Maria de Castro [1] [1]. Instituto de Patologia Tropical e Saúde Pública, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brasil. [2]. Centro Universitário, UNIRG, Gurupi, TO, Brasil. [3]. Hospital das Clínicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brasil. Abstract Introduction: Knowledge of the epidemiological profle and risk factors for Toxoplasma gondii infection among postpartum women is a relevant issue, because this protozoan can be vertically transmitted to the developing fetus, which can cause severe and debilitating disease. The aim of this study was to assess the risk factors associated with T. gondii infection in postpartum women in Goiânia, GO, Brazil. Methods: This cross-sectional study comprised 229 postpartum women, among whom 204 were chronically infected (IgG+/IgM-), and 25 were seronegative (IgG-/IgM-; control group). All the patients were asked to complete a form to provide sociodemographic, clinical, dietary, and cultural information. The data were analyzed to compare seropositivity and risk factors based on the odds ratio (OR) thereof. Results: The sociodemographic characteristics associated with the risk for toxoplasmosis were: education ≤ 8 years [OR: 2.521, confdence interval (CI): 1.01-6.301, p=0.049], and age ≥ 30 years (OR: 4.090; CI: 1.180-14.112, p=0.023). Clinical and behavioral characteristics related to eating raw and undercooked meat, were not found to be risk factors associated with a positive test for toxoplasmosis. Conclusions: Our fndings concur with the results of other studies conducted in Brazil and abroad, where variables such as low levels of schooling, and advanced age (≥ 30 years) are major risk factors for pregnant women to become infected with T. gondii. Keywords: Toxoplasma gondii. Postpartum women. Diagnosis. Risk factors. INTRODUCTION Toxoplasma gondii is one of the main factors responsible for neonatal morbidity and mortality 1 . Knowledge about the factors responsible for the dissemination of T. gondii among postpartum women is important because, when acquired congenitally, this disease can trigger lesions with severe sequelae in newborns 2,3 . Pregnant women in the chronic stage of T. gondii infection may experience worsening of the disease, 4-6 or even become reinfected 7 . The etiologic agent of toxoplasmosis can reach the placenta hematogenously, and can potentially infect the fetus and give rise to congenital toxoplasmosis 8 . This infection can kill the fetus, or cause changes that aggravate the health of surviving children 9 . Several clinical alterations such as seizures only appear after the second or third decade of life, and previous studies have shown that 80% of children with subclinical infection present ocular sequelae at some point in their lives. Therefore, a child that is asymptomatic at birth is not necessarily indicative of a better prognosis 2,10,11 . Given that one of the main mechanisms of dissemination is through the ingestion of the parasite at its various developmental stages, infection can occur through the ingestion of T. gondii oocysts or cysts. Toxoplasmosis can be considered a foodborne disease, with the exception of congenital infection. One should be aware of the biological cycle of the parasite in order to study the factors for exposure to T. gondii, i.e., regarding the possible means of ingestion of oocysts present in the environment, or of tissue cysts in contaminated meat 12 . Habits, behaviors, characteristics, and procedures that cause this contamination are considered risk factors 13,14 . However, the relationship between human and parasite may remain harmless if appropriate prophylactic measures are taken. Therefore, this paper proposes to identify the risk factors for toxoplasmosis in postpartum women treated in the public healthcare system [Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS)] in the municipality of Goiânia, State of Goiás, Brazil.