Seroprevalence and detection of Toxoplasma gondii and Echinococcus granulosus in humans by indirect immunoglobulin G enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays in Baghdad.

Abstract

The present study was conducted from December 2021 to April 2023 at the College of Health and Medical Technologies, Al-Bayan University, in Baghdad province, Iraq, to detect Toxoplasma gondii infection in humans by serological methods. Field studies were conducted using 1,500 sera samples from hospitals and private medical laboratories. The sera samples were separated and examined by indirect immunoglobulin G enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays to serologically detect T. gondii infection. The serological results demonstrated that 62% of cases were positive. The present study recorded a high rate of infection in both pregnant (70.4%) and non-pregnant women (53.6%). The serological results in males illustrated a rate of 57%, while the females showed an infection rate of 65.1%, demonstrating a non-significant difference. The highest and lowest rates of infection pertained to the 30-39 (90.2%) and < 20 (25.1%) age groups, respectively. Nevertheless, 7.8% of the 192 serologically tested sera samples were positive for Echinococcus granuloses. Regarding the age group, the rates of infection were 10.2%, 6.6%, and 14% in the 20-29, 30-39, and > 40 age groups, respectively, with a highly significant difference with E. granuloses. In terms of gender, the infection rate in males was 5.7%, while it was 10.2% in females, with a highly significant difference (P≤0.01). Finally, regarding the months, the peak infection rate was recorded in March.