fa تحقيقي Original Paper <div><strong>ABSTRACT</strong><br> <strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Background and Objective:</strong> Toxoplasmosis is a common parasitic infection worldwide. The infection can be caused via consumption of contaminated meat and mother-to-child (congenital) transmission, causing changes in central nervous system tissue, eye irritation and sometimes death. The human form of the disease is often asymptomatic and may be accompanied with general discomfort and swelling of the lymph nodes when associated with chorioretinitis. Acute infection in immunocompromised individuals could lead to mortality. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in serum of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) referred to the MS Center in city of Ahvaz, southeastern Iran<span dir="RTL">.</span><br> <strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Methods:</strong> Blood samples were taken from 100 patients with MS and 100 healthy control participants. After separating the serum, presence of anti-Toxoplasma antibodies (IgG, IgM) was evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay<span dir="RTL">.</span><br> <strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Results:</strong> Frequency of anti-Toxoplasma IgG was 38% and 21% in the patients and controls, respectively. Toxoplasma IgM antibodies were not detected in any of the study groups. Pearson correlation coefficient showed a significant association between Toxoplasma antibodies and MS<span dir="RTL">.</span><br> <strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Conclusion: </strong>Due to high prevalence of toxoplasmosis in MS patients, it is recommended to measure serum titers of the patients regularly, and placed them under antiparasitic therapy when necessary<span dir="RTL">.</span><br> <strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Keywords:</strong> Toxoplasma, Multiple sclerosis, MS, Ahvaz.</div> Toxoplasma, Multiple sclerosis, MS, Ahvaz. 6 9 http://mlj.goums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-1-463&slc_lang=fa&sid=1 Mehdi Tavalla am.tavalla@gmail.com 100319475328460013523 100319475328460013523 Yes Department of Medical Parasitology, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran Marjan Sabzevari 100319475328460013524 100319475328460013524 No Department of Medical Parasitology, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran