Low prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection among children in a rural community in Fars province, Southern Iran.

Low prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection among children in a rural community in Fars province, Southern Iran. Infez Med. 2019 Sep 01;27(3):322-327 Authors: Arefkhah N, Goodarzi R, Rezaei Z, Layegh Gigloo A, Sarkari B Abstract The current study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection and associated risk factors in children in a rural community in Fars province in southern Iran. Blood samples were collected from 671 children living in three rural areas, and sera and buffy coats were isolated from each sample. Anti-T. gondii antibodies were detected by ELISA, using a commercial kit. Also, buffy coats of seropositive children were examined by a PCR method, targeting a 529 bp gene of T. gondii. Of 671 children participating in the study, 319 (51.7%) were boys and 298 (48.3%) were girls. The mean age of the children was 9.7 (±10.7) years. Anti-Toxoplasma antibodies were detected in sera of 23 out of 671 children, corresponding to a seroprevalence rate of 3.8%. Gender and level of education had no significant influence on the risk of Toxoplasma infection (p>0.05). Toxoplasma DNA was not detected in buffy coats of any of the seropositive cases. Geographic location, as well as the low age of the participants, may contribute to the low rate of Toxoplasma infection in children of rural areas in southern Iran. PMID: 31545777 [PubMed - in process]
Source: Infezioni in Medicina - Category: Infectious Diseases Tags: Infez Med Source Type: research