شيوع سرمي آنتي بادي IgG ضد توكسوپلاسما بين دختران دانشجوي دانشگاه علوم پزشكي كرمان، سال تحصيلي 84-1383

Seroprevalence of Antitoxoplasma IgG Antibody in Female Students of Kerman University of Medical Sciences, 2004-5

Background and objective: Toxoplasmosis is an important parasitic infection considering its cosmopolitan distribution, its opportunistic nature especially in immunocompromised hosts and the potential of the parasite to cause serious congenital infection in the infants born from non-immune women. Epidemiological studies of Toxoplasma infection in women as a high risk population are essential for prevention and control of the disease. Materials and methods: In this cross sectional study 549 female students of Kerman University of Medical Sciences were selected by random systematic sampling. Studentʹs written consent and demographical data were obtained and 2-5 ml blood samples were collected in sterile test tubes. Antitoxoplasma IgG antibody was tested using an ELISA protocol. Results of the serology were analyzed by chi-square statistical test. Results: Of 549 sera tested, 93 (16.9%) were positive for antitoxoplasma IgG antibody. Most seropositive students were lived in Tehran (35.5%), Khorasan (17.4%) and Kerman (12.7%). Twenty five percent of those with a history of keeping cat at home and 18.1% of the students lived in the dormitory were seropositive. Geographical location of origin (p=0.008), living in dormitory (p=0.031) and the history of keeping cat at home (p=0.02) were the most significant risk factors of the infection. Consuming undercooked meat, history of communicable disease and the field of study were not significantly different in seropositive and seronegative groups. Conclusion: According to the results of the present study, a relatively small proportion of female students are seropositive for Toxoplasma and there would be a potential risk of infection in this group during pregnancy.