Prevalence of Toxoplasma infection in veterinary laboratory sciences students comparing to ordinary people: a case–control study

Toxoplasma gondii causes the foremost widespread protozoan infection with a broad variety of host range, which consists of regarding of almost all warm-blooded vertebrates. There are some opinions concerning the probable occupational influence on infections to Toxoplasma in veterinary services personnel. The present study aimed to examine influence of studying in veterinary laboratory sciences as a risk factor on the prevalence rate of Toxoplasma infection in the students. In this case–control study, 80 blood samples were taken from veterinary laboratory sciences students (VLSS) as a case group and 80 blood samples from ordinary people of general population as a control group with the relatively same age, gender and health condition. Anti-Toxoplasma IgG levels in the serum samples were determined using quantitative ELISA method. According to the results, 27 (33.75 %) out of 80 samples of the cases group and also 29 (36.2 %) out of 80 samples of the control group were infected by the parasite. No statistically significant difference observed in the infection rate between the case and control groups (P = 0.740, OR 0.931; 95 % CI 0.61, 1.421). The mean serum antibody concentration in infected subjects of case and control groups showed no statistically significant difference (P = 0.618, t = 0.502). Normality of the data was assumed using Kolmogorov–Smirnov test (P = 0.806, Z = 0.641). Based on the results, in veterinary laboratory science students, toxoplasmosis is not related to their career and also the subjects of this group as the other people have the same risk to infect by this protozoan parasite.