Evaluation of toxoplasma infection in cancer patients referring to Shariati Hospital in Tehran
Evaluation of toxoplasma infection in cancer patients referring to Shariati Hospital in Tehran
Hooman Hanifehpour,1Fatemeh Ashrafi,2,*
1. Head of Microbiology Department, Avicenna Biomedical Research Center (ABI) 2. Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
Introduction: Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic infection caused by the Toxoplasma gondii parasite. It is a significant opportunistic infection in cancer patients due to their weakened immune systems. This study aimed to investigate the serum prevalence of anti-toxoplasma antibodies in cancer patients.
Methods: A total of 350 samples were collected from cancer patients and healthy individuals. Serum samples were tested for anti-toxoplasma antibodies using ELISA and LAMP techniques. Demographic data was collected and analyzed using SPSS 20 software.
Results: Of the 350 serum samples collected from cancer patients, 133 (60.5%) had IgG antibodies and 4 (1.8%) had IgM antibodies against toxoplasma. Positive samples were confirmed by LAMP molecular technique. The serum prevalence of IgG anti-toxoplasma antibodies was significantly higher in cancer patients compared to the control group (p<0.001). Among cancer patients, the highest and lowest prevalence of IgG anti-toxoplasma antibodies was observed in those with acute myeloid leukemia (11.81%) and uterine cancer (0.45%), respectively.
Conclusion: The study found a significantly higher prevalence of toxoplasmosis infection in cancer patients compared to healthy individuals. Cancer patients with acute myeloid leukemia had the highest prevalence. This study emphasizes the importance of screening for toxoplasmosis in cancer patients to prevent severe infections.