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[Antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii in patients with HIV in Yucatan]
R A Góngora-Biachi1, P González-Martínez, C Castro-Sansores
1Lab. de Hematología del Centro de Investigaciones Regionales Dr. Hideyo Noguchi, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, México. gbiachi@tunku.uady.mx
Objective:
To determine the prevalence of antibodies type IgG to T. gondii in patients with HIV infection type 1 in the Yucatan peninsula.
Methods:
95 patients with HIV and 100 blood donors as controls were studied. The search for IgG antibodies to T. gondii was done with a third generation solid-phase enzyme immunoassay. Clinical and demographic data were obtained.
Results:
The prevalence of antibodies was higher (p = 0.003) in controls (69%, CI95 = 59-78%) than in patients (47%, CI = 36-57%). No relation was found between seroreactivity and the variables evaluated (gender, urban or rural home, age) nor with CD4 T-cell counts and clinical categories.
Conclusions:
The high prevalence of T. gondii antibodies in both groups suggests that the zoonosis is endemic in the Yucatan peninsula. This justifies the routine determination of antibodies and the use of therapeutic protocols for preventing encephalitis by toxoplasma in HIV patients as a high percentage of them would be at risk of developing it.