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Serological Evaluation of Toxoplasmosis and Related Risk Factors Among HIV+/AIDS Patients in Northern Iran

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Abstract

Purpose

Toxoplasma gondii is an important opportunistic intracellular protozoan parasite that can cause severe sequelae and even death in immunodeficient patients. This study aimed to evaluate the seroprevalence and risk factors of toxoplasmosis among HIV+/AIDS patients of the study area.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was carried out on 121 registered HIV+/AIDS patients of behavioral diseases consultation center (BDCC) in Guilan province, north of Iran. Anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibodies were measured by ELISA technique in the serum samples. IgG avidity was measured for IgG- plus IgM-positive cases. Also, the relationship between T. gondii infection and related demographic and clinical characteristics were investigated.

Results

Anti-T. gondii IgG and IgM antibodies were detected in 60.3 and 4.9% of patients, respectively. One case of acute toxoplasmosis (0.83%) was detected using an IgG avidity test. A significant correlation was observed between toxoplasmosis with age and marital status in these patients. The mean CD4+count of HIV+/AIDS patients was 549 ± 27 cells/µl. Viral load in 69.7% of the HIV patients was less than1000 copies/ml.

Conclusion

None of the T. gondii IgM-positive HIV patients received anti-Toxoplasma prophylaxis. This finding highlights the importance of T. gondii infection surveillance in HIV patients. Regarding the high prevalence of toxoplasmosis in the study population, educational efforts are recommended to prevent reactivation or acquiring primary infection and developing severe cases of toxoplasmosis in immunocompromised HIV+/AIDS patients.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Behavioral Diseases Consultation Center (BDCC) of Guilan, Iran and all participants for their kind assistance during this study. We appreciate the Guilan University of Medical Sciences for the financial support (Grant No. 96112111).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Parasitology, School of Medicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran

    Hasan Rafati-Sajedi, Bijan Majidi-Shad & Mohammad Reza Mahmoudi

  2. Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran

    Reza Jafari-Shakib

  3. Medical Biotechnology Research Center, School of Paramedicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran

    Reza Jafari-Shakib

  4. Department of Biostatistics, School of Medicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran

    Zahra Atrkar-Roshan

  5. Guilan Province Health Center, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran

    Seyed Mahmood Rezvani

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  1. Hasan Rafati-Sajedi
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  4. Zahra Atrkar-Roshan
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Contributions

HRS–HJS: literature search, data acquisition, data analysis, experimental studies, manuscript preparation, and manuscript review. BMS–BMS: concept, design, definition of intellectual content, experimental studies, data analysis, manuscript preparation, manuscript editing, manuscript review, and supervision of all research steps. RJS–RJS: concept, definition of intellectual content, experimental studies, manuscript editing, and manuscript review. MRM–MRM: design, data analysis, manuscript editing, and manuscript review. ZAR–ZAR: design, statistical analysis, data analysis, definition of intellectual content, and manuscript review. SMR–SMR: definition of intellectual content, data acquisition, experimental studies, data analysis, and manuscript review.

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Correspondence to Bijan Majidi-Shad.

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Rafati-Sajedi, H., Majidi-Shad, B., Jafari-Shakib, R. et al. Serological Evaluation of Toxoplasmosis and Related Risk Factors Among HIV+/AIDS Patients in Northern Iran. Acta Parasit. 66, 1417–1423 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11686-021-00410-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11686-021-00410-7

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