title: Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma Gondii Infection among High School Girls in Ajabshir from East Azarbaijan Province, Iran.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Toxoplasmosis is a disease parasite which can infect human and animals. The infection may be serious if is transmitted to the fetus during pregnancy. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of specific antibodies and the associated risk factors for toxoplasmosis in students attending high-school in Ajabshir.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this descriptive study, 549 blood samples were collected from high school girls. The samples divided into two groups (147 and 402 samples from rural and urban schools respectively). IgG and IgM specific antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results of study showed that from 402 urban samples, 50 (12.4) and 34(8.5) cases and from 147 rural samples, 38 (25.9) and 32 (21.8) cases were seropositive for anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibodies respectively. Of the risk factors studied, the significant association was found between T. gondii-specific antibodies with residency and age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Based on data found in our study, 87.6% of young girls from urban areas in Ajabshir did not have antibodies to Toxoplasma and this is a very important issue, because these young women were in fertile age. Therefore required Preventive and control programs especially in these cases in order to reduce the rate of disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology and Mycology, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Esmaeil
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fallah
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology and Mycology, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Arash
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rasuli
authors.affiliation: Tabriz Research Center of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Abbas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shahbazi
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Morteza
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ghojazadeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Sciences, Marand Branch, Islamic Azad University, Marand, Iran.
authors.forename: Majid
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Khanmohammadi
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory, Imam Reza Hospital, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hamzavi
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency, Imam Khomeini Hospital of Ajabshir, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Ajabshir, Iran.
authors.forename: Roghayeh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Roshanaei
keywords: Enzyme Linked Immunosor- bent Assay; Seroepidemio logic studies; Toxoplasma