title: Seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in mentally retarded patients in Iranian rehabilitation centers.
abstract: Toxoplasma gondii is one of the most common causes of latent infections in humans and animals. Although T. gondii infection is widely prevalent in the world, most acquired cases of the disease are asymptomatic. The important aspect of this parasitic infection is the probable danger of congenital transmission and its severe effects on the fetus. There have been many reports about the prevalence of anti-T. gondii antibody among different groups of people in Iran; however the epidemiological data in mentally retarded patients are rare. The present study was conducted on 158 mentally retarded persons (94 males, 64 females) in the rehabilitation centers of Khoramabad from autumn 2012 to winter 2013. The overall prevalence of anti-T. gondii antibody was 30.4 % (48 cases). There were no significant difference between sex and toxoplasmosis (p > 0.05). However, there were no statistically significant difference between age and toxoplasmosis, nevertheless the prevalence of toxoplasmosis in the patients less than 10-years-old had significantly the lowest rate. The highest infection rates were found in the two age groups of 10-19 and ≥30 years old. Our results showed that the prevalence of toxoplasmosis in the mentally retarded persons in the rehabilitation centers of Khorramabad was similar to the prevalence in pregnant women in this city. Therefore, the disease does not cause additional danger to this group of women.
authors.affiliation: Razi Herbal Medicines Research Center, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran.
authors.forename: Behrouz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ezatpour
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, School of Medicine, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zibaie
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran.
authors.forename: Hessam
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rahmati
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran.
authors.forename: Yadollah
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Pournia
authors.affiliation: Professor Alborzi Clinical Microbiology Research Center, School of Medicine, Namazi Hospital, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors.forename: Mehdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Azami
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, Faculty of Health, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran.
authors.forename: Farzad
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ebrahimzadeh
authors.affiliation: Razi Herbal Medicines Research Center, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran.
authors.forename: Mozhgan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Azadpour
authors.affiliation: Division of Nursing, Shahid Modarres Hospital, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Maryam Jamshidian
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Ghalesefidi
keywords: Iran; Mentally retarded patients; Seroprevalence; Toxoplasma gondii