Evaluation of Seroepidemiology of Toxoplasmosis in HIV + patients referring to the Treatment Centers of Yazd in 2014

Considering the increasing rate of HIV virus in human societies and given the immune deficiency in HIV positive people, the prevalence of infections such as toxoplasmosis has been higher among these patients. In other words, in the case of not treating this infection, it can be fatal. Furthermore, due to favorable conditions provided for the parasite in these hosts, the presence of species resistant to treatment or with pathogenesis is more probable. This risk threatens the entire community. So, the aim of this study was to evaluate seroepidemiology of toxoplasmosis in HIV positive patients, who referred to the Treatment Centers of Yazd in 2014 This cross-sectional study was conducted on 84 patients with HIV in behavioral health counseling centers in Yazd. In this study, IgG antibodies were measured by ELISA and CD4 cell counts methods using the flow-cytometry for all patients. Chi-square test was run to evaluate the relationship between the prevalence of toxoplasmosis in terms of independent variables at a significance level of 5 percent. We found that 4.52 percent of patients had positive IgG results. No significant difference was observed in the prevalence of toxoplasmosis in the studied patients and variables, such as gender, age, drug addiction, and income (p-value > 0.05). Considering the transfer of the disease, results of this study showed that 3 cases (3.6%), 20 cases (23.8%), and 57 cases (67.9%) of the disease transmitted from mother to child, spouse, and the person him/her-self, which included 95.3 percent. The disease transmission method was not determined in other four patients. High risk groups of society, especially people with intravenous addiction and high-risk sexual contacts should be informed and screened about the risk factors of contamination with HIV. In this regard, logical and practical planning, educational programs, and treatment measures are required to reduce the high-risk behaviors among this group.