Seroprevalence of Fasciola sp. and Toxoplasma gondii Infections in Rural and Urban Inhabitants of Jolfa County, Northwest Iran

TL;DR

This study found low Fasciola infection and high Toxoplasma gondii infection rates in humans in Jolfa County, Iran.

Contribution

This is the first study to report Fasciola seropositivity in Jolfa County, Northwest Iran.

Findings

0.7% of human sera tested positive for anti-Fasciola IgG, with three cases from urban and one from rural areas.

45% of human sera were seropositive for anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgG.

Fasciola infection is present in the region but at low prevalence.

Abstract

Fascioliasis and toxoplasmosis are the two important zoonotic diseases that are endemic in Iran and share some common transmission routes. The present study is aimed at determining the seroprevalence of human fascioliasis and toxoplasmosis in rural and urban areas of Jolfa County, Northwest Iran. In a cross-sectional study, 600 human sera were collected randomly from humans living in Jolfa County including three cities and 13 villages from 2017 to 2018. Anti-Toxoplasma IgG and anti-Fasciola sp. IgG tests have been performed using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Four (0.7%) out of 600 human sera showed positive levels of anti-Fasciola IgG. Three out of four seropositive humans were from an urban area, and one (25%) was from rural inhabitants. Considering T. gondii infection, 45% of studied human sera were seropositive for anti-T. gondii IgG. In conclusion, this is the first study reporting Fasciola seropositivity in the area. Based on the findings, human fascioliasis is present in the studied area, Northwest Iran, granted in low prevalence. Considering T. gondii seropositivity, the prevalence is high, yet close to the reports from other regions in the province.

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