School of Dental Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia.
Department of Haematology, School of Medical Science, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia.
Trop Biomed. 2020 Mar 1;37(1):218-226.
Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii that is prevalent in humans and animals. This study was aimed to determine the seroprevalence of T. gondii infection among hemato-oncology patients and its association with sociodemographic and behavioural characteristics. This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) involving 56 blood samples from hemato-oncology patients. Anti-T. gondii IgG and IgM antibodies and IgG avidity were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). The association of T. gondii exposure, sociodemographic, and behavioural characteristics were assessed by a questionnaire and face-to-face interviews. Twenty-eight (50%) patients were seropositive for T. gondii antibodies, where 27 (48.21%) patients were IgG+/IgM- and one patient (1.79%) was IgG+/IgM+ with high avidity index, indicating infection of more than 20 weeks. A univariate analysis showed that age, gender, ethnicity, marital status, educational level, employment status, stem cell transplant, blood transfusion, close contact with cats, water supply, and consumption of undercooked meat were not significantly associated with Toxoplasma seropositivity (p < 0.05). Our study has demonstrated, for the first time, the serological evidence of T. gondii exposure among hemato-oncology patients in Hospital USM. Our findings indicated that latent toxoplasmosis was relatively prevalence among our patients. Therefore, serological screening tests should be considered for immunocompromised patients as well as the implementation of health education programmes to encourage a healthy lifestyle and the consumption of healthy food among them.
弓形虫病是一种由刚地弓形虫引起的人畜共患疾病，在人类和动物中普遍存在。本研究旨在确定血液肿瘤患者中弓形虫感染的血清流行率及其与社会人口学和行为特征的关系。这项横断面研究在马来西亚大学医院（USM）进行，涉及 56 名血液肿瘤患者的血液样本。使用酶联免疫吸附试验（ELISA）测定抗弓形虫 IgG 和 IgM 抗体以及 IgG 亲和力。通过问卷和面对面访谈评估弓形虫暴露、社会人口学和行为特征的相关性。28 名（50%）患者对弓形虫抗体呈阳性，其中 27 名（48.21%）患者为 IgG+/IgM-，1 名（1.79%）患者为 IgG+/IgM+，具有高亲和力指数，表明感染超过 20 周。单因素分析显示，年龄、性别、种族、婚姻状况、教育程度、就业状况、干细胞移植、输血、与猫密切接触、供水和食用未煮熟的肉与弓形虫血清阳性率无显著相关性（p<0.05）。本研究首次在 USM 医院的血液肿瘤患者中证实了弓形虫暴露的血清学证据。我们的发现表明，潜伏性弓形体病在我们的患者中相对普遍。因此，应考虑对免疫功能低下的患者进行血清学筛查试验，并实施健康教育计划，鼓励他们健康的生活方式和食用健康食品。
