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.

中文翻译：

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伊朗北部 HIV + /AIDS 患者弓形虫病和相关危险因素的血清学评估

目的

弓形虫是一种重要的机会性细胞内原生动物寄生虫，可导致免疫缺陷患者的严重后遗症甚至死亡。本研究旨在评估研究区HIV ⁺ /AIDS患者弓形体病的血清阳性率和危险因素。

方法

对伊朗北部桂兰省行为疾病咨询中心 (BDCC) 的121 名注册 HIV ⁺ / AIDS 患者进行了横断面研究。通过ELISA技术在血清样品中测量抗弓形虫IgG和IgM抗体。测量 IgG 加 IgM 阳性病例的 IgG 亲和力。此外，还调查了弓形虫感染与相关人口统计学和临床​​特征之间的关系。

结果

分别在 60.3% 和 4.9% 的患者中检测到抗弓形虫IgG 和 IgM 抗体。使用 IgG 亲和力测试检测到 1 例急性弓形虫病 (0.83%)。在这些患者中观察到弓形虫病与年龄和婚姻状况之间存在显着相关性。HIV ⁺ /AIDS 患者的平均 CD4 ⁺计数为 549 ± 27 个细胞/微升。69.7% 的 HIV 患者的病毒载量低于 1000 拷贝/毫升。

结论

弓形虫IgM 阳性 HIV 患者均未接受抗弓形虫预防。这一发现强调了对HIV 患者进行弓形虫感染监测的重要性。关于研究人群中弓形体病的高流行率，建议开展教育工作，以防止免疫功能低下的 HIV ⁺ / AIDS 患者重新激活或获得原发感染和发展为严重的弓形体病病例。