Investigation of seroprevalance of toxoplasma gondii in hospital staff and health school students in Elazig by elisa

Toxoplasma gondii is quite common on earth; definitive hosts are cat and other cats belonging to Felidae family, and intermediate hosts are all mammals (including human) and birds. It is an obligatory intracellular parasite and it can develop in epithelial cells of definitive host, and excluding anucleated cells, in all organ and tissue cells of intermediate hosts. Three development forms having a role in the infection which are infected oocysts produced by the cats and tachyzoites and bradyzoites in the intermediate hosts. Meat and meat products of intermediate hosts are one of the primary sources that cause people to be exposed to Toxoplasma infection. Laboratory accident, infected organ transplantation, blood and blood product transfusion and fecal-oral and transplacental infection may be the infection route. This study was conducted on the purpose of determining the existence and prevalence of toxoplasmosis among the voluntary group consisting of physician, nurses and cooks working in the 5 different hospitals in the city center and districts of Elazığ, and final year students who do internship in these hospitals and who are also students of Health Occupation High-School of Fırat University. A total of 100 blood samples, which were drawn from the physician, nurses, cooks and students each consisting of 25, are examined by ELISA for the existence of anti-T. gondii IgM ve IgG antibodies. In 27 out of 100 samples which examined for Toxoplasma gondii IgG was detected positive, and 14 out of them was detected positive for IgM. The highest IgG seropositivity was seen in nurses (68%), it was followed by cooks (32%) and physician (8%), and no positivity was detected in students. It was observed that IgM seropositivity was ranged in order of physician and trainees (20%) and cooks and nurses (8%). One of 27 people aged between 18-25; 11 of 23 people aged between 26-30; and 14 of 50 people aged 31 and older were detected IgG positive for T.gondii. Relation between toxoplasmosis seropositivity and feeding habits of these occupational groups and animal feeding habits of them is researched; In ones who have habit of eating raw meat and not, respectively 31.2% and 23.5% IgG positivity was detected. These percentage was respectively 28.3% and 22.5% in ones who has the habit of having a cat or not. As a result, existence and spread of toxoplasmosis among the staff and students, who work in 5 different hospitals in the city center and districts of Elazığ, were revealed serologically by this study; epidemiological data were obtained for the matters about the effects of eating habits, occupational and age groups and contact with pets over the spread of toxoplasmosis.