Seroepidemiology of human hydatid cyst in Jahrom

The most common determinant for hydatidosis in human population is the confirmed cases per year or those undergoing surgery, but these are only a few cases of infection. Hydatidosis is one of the important health problems in Iran; therefore, seroepidemiological studies of hydatidosis can be an essential step to promote the social health and prevent this disease by determination of positive cases. Material and Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 1096 sera were randomly collected from the patients referred to a clinical laboratory in Jahrom from 2006 to 2007. They were tested by ELISA for IgG against Ecchinococcus granulosus. During sampling, demographical features of these patients were recorded and the results were analyzed in SPSS. Results: Anti-Ecchinococcus granulosus IgG was detected in 69 (6.3%) out of 1096 sera including 45 (65.2%) males and24 (34.8%) females. In 46-60 year old cases, the prevalence rate was higher than the others (21 cases, 5.7%). The rates of seropositivity in rural and urban areas were 7.54% and 5.24%, respectively. There was no significant difference between seropositivity of hydatid cyst and variables such as gender, age groups and the area of living (P>0.05). Conclusion: The results showed that the seroprevalence of hydatidosis was 6.3% in Jahrom. There was a higher seropositivity in rural areas as compared to urban areas but there was no significant difference between seropositivity of hydatid cyst and area of living.