title: Seroprevalence of human fascioliasis in meshkin-shahr district, ardabil province, northwestern iran in 2012.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to conduct a seroprevalence survey in Meshkin-Shahr, Ardabil Province, north western Iran to detect the rate of human fascioliasis in the city and nearby villages. Literature shows that no such study has been conducted so far.
  
  
  METHODS
  Overall, 458 serum samples were collected by randomized cluster sampling method from 153 males and 305 females referred to different health centers of the region after recalling by staff in those centers in 2012. All cases filled out a questionnaire and an informed consent. Sera were analyzed using indirect-ELISA test. Ten μg /ml antigens (Liver Fluke Homogenate), serum dilutions of 1:500 and conjugate anti-human coombs with 1:10000 dilutions were utilized to perform the test. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS software ver. 18.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nine cases (1.96%) were positive for fascioliasis by ELISA test. The seroprevalence of fascioliasis among females was 1.63% and 2.6% in males. There was no significant difference as regards age groups, sex, job, residency, literacy and consuming row vegetable. According to job, unemployment subjects had the highest rate of infection as 5.9%. The seroprevalence of infection was 1.52% in illiterate people. As for residency, urban life showed no significant difference with rural life (2.4% vs 1.42). Age group of 40-49 yr old, with 3.3% seropositivity had the highest rate.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Obtained seroprevalence of fascioliasis shows immediate attention of health authorities to the diseases in the area. The adjacent of Ardabil Province to endemic areas of fasciolosis accentuates this attention.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Samieh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Asadian
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran ; Center for Research of Endemic Parasites of Iran (CREPI), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mehdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mohebali
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran.
authors.forename: MahmodMAH
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moudi
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran ; Center for Research of Endemic Parasites of Iran (CREPI), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: EshratBeigom
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kia
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Zahra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Heidari
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Majid
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Asgari
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mojgan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aryaeipour
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: SepidehMO
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Radi
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran ; Center for Research of Endemic Parasites of Iran (CREPI), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad Bagher
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Rokni
keywords: ELISA; Fasciolosis; Human; Iran; Seroprevalence