High Seroprevalence of Toxocara Infection among Mentally Retarded Patients in Hormozgan Province, Southern Iran

Journal of Parasitology Research

Turki

et al. 2022

Self Cite

Intellectually disabled individuals are more prone to parasitic infections due to their unusual behaviors, immune and nutrient deficiencies, and living conditions. The current study is aimed at evaluating the prevalence of intestinal parasites in institutionalized intellectually disabled individuals in Bandar Abbas County in the south of Iran. Subjects of the study were 119 individuals, living in an intellectually disabled individual care center. Demographic features of the subjects including age, sex, intellectual disability type, and duration of their stay in the center were recorded. A stool sample was taken from each subject and evaluated by direct wet mount and formalin-ethyl-acetate concentration methods. Samples were also examined, using trichrome and modified acid-fast permanent staining. The mean age of the subjects was 27.6 (±2.24), ranging from 4 to 60 years old. Of the 119 participants, 55 (46.2%) were male, and 64 cases (53.8%) were female. Overall, 31 individuals (26.1%, 95% CI: 18.4-34.9) were found to be infected with at least one type of intestinal parasite. Blastocystis hominis, as the most common detected parasite, was detected in 13 (10.1%), Entamoeba coli in 12 (10.1%), Giardia lamblia in 5 (4.2%), Cryptosporidium in 2 (1.7%), Iodamoeba butchlii in 2 (1.7%), and Endolimax nana in 1 (0.8%) of participants. Three cases had coinfection with Blastocystis hominis and Entamoeba coli, one case was infected with Blastocystis hominis and Giardia lamblia, and one case was coinfected with Giardia lamblia and Entamoeba coli. There were no statistically significant associations between intestinal parasitic infection and gender, age, type of intellectual disability, or duration of stay in the care center ( P > 0.05 ). The findings of the present study indicate a relatively high prevalence of parasitic infections in people with intellectual disabilities in Bandar Abbas, southern Iran. Noteworthy is the high prevalence of Blastocyst and also the presence of Cryptosporidium infection in these people. Periodic treatment of these people and improvement of their maintenance conditions can be considered for the prevention and control of intestinal parasitic infection in these people.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intestinal Parasitic Infections among Intellectually Disabled Individuals in Bandar Abbas County, Southern Iran

Pakmehr

Journal of Parasitology Research

Turki

et al. 2022

Self Cite

“…Behavioral factors, such as nail-biting and sucking fingers, along with inadequate personal hygiene in these people lead to an increasing risk of Toxocara infection in this high-risk group. In our previous study that was performed on 117 mentally retarded patients, 28.2% of them were infected with toxocariasis [ 29 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seroprevalence of Toxocariasis and Its Associated Risk Factors among Adult Population in Kavar District, Fars Province, South of Iran: A Cross-Sectional Community-Based Seroepidemiological Survey

Pezeshkian

Pouryousef

Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Infectious Diseases

et al. 2023

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Toxocariasis as a common neglected disease is the culprit of infecting all age groups. The current cross-sectional study was designed to assess the seroprevalence of toxocariasis and risk factors associated with seropositivity of Toxocara infection among the general population of adults in the Kavar district, south of Iran. A total of 1060 participants with an age range of 35 to 70 years from the Kavar region entered the study. Manual ELISA was utilized to detect anti-Toxocara-specific antibodies in their serum samples. In addition, demographic information as well as risk factors related to toxocariasis was collected from individuals who participated in the survey. The mean age of the participants was 48.9 (±7.9) years old. Out of 1060 subjects, 532 (50.2%) were men, and 528 (49.8%) were women. The overall Toxocara seroprevalence was 5.8% (61/1060). The prevalence of Toxocara seropositive cases was significantly different between males and females ( p = 0.023). The seropositive rate for Toxocara infection was also significantly higher in housewives ( p = 0.003) and subjects with learning disabilities ( p = 0.008). Multivariable logistic regression revealed that housewives (OR = 2.04, 95% CI: 1.18–3.51, p = 0.010) and subjects with learning disability (OR = 3.32, 95% CI: 1.29–8.52, p = 0.013) were at increased risk of Toxocara infection. The findings of the current study depicted a noticeable seroprevalence of Toxocara infection in the general population in the Kavar district, southern Iran. An increased risk of toxocariasis has been associated with learning disabilities and being a housewife. All of the toxocariasis-positive cases had contact with animals, at some point in their life. In perspective, it is necessary to raise awareness of this infection among the population while surveilling Toxocara infection in high-risk groups.

“…Due to poor health and soil‐eating habits in individuals with intellectual disabilities, the chance of infection with Toxoplasma as well as other infectious diseases in this group is higher than in other people in the community (Omidian et al . 2021). This group of people usually has a weaker immune system due to nutritional deficiencies and other underlying diseases.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis among individuals with intellectual disability in Hormozgan Province, southern Iran

J intellect Disabil Res

Shahrbabak

Pouryousef

et al. 2023

Self Cite

Background People with mental defects are more likely to get the infection due to their low levels of health care and personal hygiene. The current study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma infection among individuals with intellectual disabilities in Hormozgan province, southern Iran. Methods The study population was 117 individuals with intellectual disabilities. Venous blood (3 mL) was taken from each subject. A commercial ELISA kit was used to determine anti‐Toxoplasma IgG antibodies. Results Of 117 recruited subjects, 55 (47.0%) were men and 62 (53.0%) were women. The mean age of participants was 27.6 (±12.31) years. Out of 117 studied subjects, 76 had severe and 41 had profound intellectual disabilities. Anti‐Toxoplasma IgG antibodies were detected in the sera of 35 out of 117 (29.9%) individuals. Seropositivity to toxoplasmosis was significantly higher in severe than in individuals with profound intellectual disabilities (P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant association between Toxoplasma infection and age, sex and duration of residency in the rehabilitation centre. Conclusions The findings of this study indicate that the prevalence of Toxoplasma in people with intellectual disabilities is not much different from other groups of the community.