Abstract
Toxoplasmosis is a cosmopolitan zoonotic infection, caused by a unicellular protozoan parasite known as Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) that belongs to the phylum Apicomplexa. The present investigation was aimed to evaluate the seroprevalence of T. gondii infection in the general population of Abadan city. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 496 subjects were participated. Anti-T. gondii IgG and IgM antibodies were tested using commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Moreover, a structured questionnaire was completed for each person. Out of 496 subjects, 188 (37.9%) and 30 (6.05%) samples were seropositive for IgG and IgM, respectively. The more seroprevalence was found during spring season, among female subjects, in rural inhabitants, in persons with the education level of diploma or lower, from the subjects with a history of contact with cat, in individuals who consumed raw/undercooked meat, and amongst who drink unpurified water. The results showed that inhabitants of tropical areas, may be moderately exposed to T. gondii. Increase of knowledge of people about toxoplasmosis, certainly affects in reduction of the infection.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank all staff of Abadan School of Medical Sciences.
Funding
This study was financially supported by Grant No. 96ST-0135 from Student Research Committee, Abadan School of Medical Sciences, Abadan, Iran.
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S. Soltani, M. Foroutan, H. Afshari, M. Hezarian, and M. Sagha Kahvaz conceived, designed and drafted the manuscript; S. Soltani, H. Afshari, and M. Hezarian involved in data acquisition; S. Soltani, M. Foroutan, and M. Sagha Kahvaz involved in statistical analysis and critically revised the text. All authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
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This study received the approval from the Abadan School of Medical Sciences Ethical Committee (1396.239). A written informed consent was obtained from adult persons and parent or guardian of children less than 15 years old. Ethical issues (Including plagiarism, misconduct, data fabrication and/or falsification, double publication and/or submission, redundancy, etc.) have been completely observed by the authors.
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Soltani, S., Foroutan, M., Afshari, H. et al. Seroepidemiological evaluation of Toxoplasma gondii immunity among the general population in southwest of Iran. J Parasit Dis 42, 636–642 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12639-018-1047-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12639-018-1047-2