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Abstract：
Toxoplasmosis, an infectious disease caused by the obligate intracellular protozoan parasite, poses varying degrees of risk, ranging from asymptomatic cases in immunocompetent individuals to severe, life-threatening conditions in immunocompromised individuals and developing fetuses, especially when infection occurs during early pregnancy. While the disease is endemic in Iraq, there is a notable lack of precise information regarding its seroprevalence among females of childbearing age and pregnant women, along with associated risk factors in the Zakho district. This cross-sectional study aimed to address this gap by determining the prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgG and IgM antibodies using the ELISA assay. The study involved 610 females aged 18-79 years from various residential areas within Zakho district, Iraq. The findings revealed a seroprevalence of 32.46% for anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibodies and 8.86% for IgM antibodies. Significant variations in IgG antibody seroprevalence were observed across different age groups (P=0.008), with the highest prevalence noted among those aged 46-55 years (47.73%). Conversely, IgM antibody seroprevalence, while non-significant (P>0.05), displayed the highest rate of 10.05% among ages 18-25 years. The study identified residence as a variable significantly associated with toxoplasmosis. Additionally, contact with cats, marital status, a history of abortion, and the consumption of homemade food showed significant associations with anti-Toxoplasma IgM antibodies only. These findings strongly suggest that Toxoplasma gondii is a prevalent causative agent of infection in Zakho city, Iraq. This study contributes valuable insights into the seroprevalence and associated risk factors, providing a foundation for targeted interventions and further research in this region.
摘要：
弓形虫病,由专性细胞内原生动物寄生虫引起的传染病，带来不同程度的风险，从免疫能力个体的无症状病例到严重的病例，免疫功能低下的个体和发育中的胎儿的威胁生命的状况，尤其是在怀孕早期发生感染时。虽然这种疾病在伊拉克很流行，在育龄女性和孕妇中，明显缺乏关于其血清阳性率的准确信息，以及Zakho区的相关风险因素。这项横断面研究旨在通过使用ELISA测定法确定抗弓形虫IgG和IgM抗体的患病率来解决这一差距。该研究涉及来自Zakho区各个居民区的610名18-79岁的女性，伊拉克。研究结果表明，抗弓形虫IgG抗体的血清阳性率为32.46％，IgM抗体的血清阳性率为8.86％。在不同年龄组中观察到IgG抗体血清阳性率的显着变化（P=0.008），在46-55岁的人群中患病率最高（47.73%）。相反，IgM抗体血清阳性率,而无显著性(P>0.05)，在18-25岁的人群中，这一比例最高，为10.05%。该研究将居住地确定为与弓形虫病显着相关的变量。此外,与猫接触,婚姻状况,堕胎史,自制食品的消费仅与抗弓形虫IgM抗体显着相关。这些发现强烈表明，弓形虫是Zakho市感染的流行病原体，伊拉克。这项研究为血清阳性率和相关风险因素提供了有价值的见解，为该地区有针对性的干预措施和进一步研究奠定了基础。
