Evaluation of T. gondii, rubella, and cytomegalovirus seroprevalences among female Syrian refugees in Sanliurfa, Turkiye

Introduction: Since the Syrian Civil War began in 2011, the official number of refugees under temporary protection in Turkiye is reported to be 3,522,036 in 2023. Most of the Syrians living outside the refugee camps have worse conditions in terms of access to healthcare centers and social opportuni...

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Main Authors: Gülcan Gürses, Nebiye Yentür Doni, Zeynep Şimşek, Mustafa Aksoy, Neşe Gül Hilali, Behire Özek
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries 2024-06-01
Series:Journal of Infection in Developing Countries
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Online Access:https://jidc.org/index.php/journal/article/view/18614
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author Gülcan Gürses
Nebiye Yentür Doni
Zeynep Şimşek
Mustafa Aksoy
Neşe Gül Hilali
Behire Özek
author_facet Gülcan Gürses
Nebiye Yentür Doni
Zeynep Şimşek
Mustafa Aksoy
Neşe Gül Hilali
Behire Özek
author_sort Gülcan Gürses
collection DOAJ
description Introduction: Since the Syrian Civil War began in 2011, the official number of refugees under temporary protection in Turkiye is reported to be 3,522,036 in 2023. Most of the Syrians living outside the refugee camps have worse conditions in terms of access to healthcare centers and social opportunities, compared to those living in camps. The Sanliurfa province hosts the third highest number of Syrians (370,291) in Turkiye. There are no data about the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii), rubella (rub), or cytomegalovirus (CMV) among Syrian refugees in Sanliurfa. We aimed to investigate the seroprevalence of T. gondii, rub, and CMV infections among female Syrian refugees of reproductive age (15-49 years) living in Sanliurfa province. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted in different districts of Sanliurfa. A total of 460 households were selected using the probability sampling method. One married female Syrian refugee aged between 15 and 49 years, was chosen in each household, leading to a sample size of 410 female Syrian refugees. The seropositivity of T. gondii, CMV, and rub IgM and IgG in blood samples were analyzed using enzyme immunoassays (Abbott Architect, Illinois, USA). Results: The seropositivity rates of T. gondii, CMV, and rubella IgM and IgG were 4.4% and 59.8%; 3.9%; and 99%; and 1.9%, and 99.5%, respectively. Conclusions: A screening program should be implemented for T. gondii, CMV, and rub infections for Syrian refugees. Seronegative women should be vaccinated against rub and educated about the transmission and preventive routes of toxoplasmosis and CMV infection.
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publisher The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries
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spelling doaj-art-19fc4fca9da34574bd4d289a65c550632025-08-20T02:27:14ZengThe Journal of Infection in Developing CountriesJournal of Infection in Developing Countries1972-26802024-06-01180610.3855/jidc.18614Evaluation of T. gondii, rubella, and cytomegalovirus seroprevalences among female Syrian refugees in Sanliurfa, TurkiyeGülcan Gürses0Nebiye Yentür Doni1Zeynep Şimşek2Mustafa Aksoy3Neşe Gül Hilali4Behire Özek5Vocational School of Health Service, Harran University, Sanliurfa, TurkiyeFaculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Microbiology, Harran University, Sanliurfa, TurkiyeFaculty of Health Sciences, Department of Health Management, Bilgi University, Istanbul, TurkiyeFaculty of Medicine, Department of Dermatology, Harran University, Sanliurfa, TurkiyeFaculty of Medicine, Department of Gynecology, Harran University, Sanliurfa, TurkiyeUnited Nations Population Fund, Ankara, Turkiye Introduction: Since the Syrian Civil War began in 2011, the official number of refugees under temporary protection in Turkiye is reported to be 3,522,036 in 2023. Most of the Syrians living outside the refugee camps have worse conditions in terms of access to healthcare centers and social opportunities, compared to those living in camps. The Sanliurfa province hosts the third highest number of Syrians (370,291) in Turkiye. There are no data about the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii), rubella (rub), or cytomegalovirus (CMV) among Syrian refugees in Sanliurfa. We aimed to investigate the seroprevalence of T. gondii, rub, and CMV infections among female Syrian refugees of reproductive age (15-49 years) living in Sanliurfa province. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted in different districts of Sanliurfa. A total of 460 households were selected using the probability sampling method. One married female Syrian refugee aged between 15 and 49 years, was chosen in each household, leading to a sample size of 410 female Syrian refugees. The seropositivity of T. gondii, CMV, and rub IgM and IgG in blood samples were analyzed using enzyme immunoassays (Abbott Architect, Illinois, USA). Results: The seropositivity rates of T. gondii, CMV, and rubella IgM and IgG were 4.4% and 59.8%; 3.9%; and 99%; and 1.9%, and 99.5%, respectively. Conclusions: A screening program should be implemented for T. gondii, CMV, and rub infections for Syrian refugees. Seronegative women should be vaccinated against rub and educated about the transmission and preventive routes of toxoplasmosis and CMV infection. https://jidc.org/index.php/journal/article/view/18614Toxoplasma gondiicytomegalovirusrubella
spellingShingle Gülcan Gürses
Nebiye Yentür Doni
Zeynep Şimşek
Mustafa Aksoy
Neşe Gül Hilali
Behire Özek
Evaluation of T. gondii, rubella, and cytomegalovirus seroprevalences among female Syrian refugees in Sanliurfa, Turkiye
Journal of Infection in Developing Countries
Toxoplasma gondii
cytomegalovirus
rubella
title Evaluation of T. gondii, rubella, and cytomegalovirus seroprevalences among female Syrian refugees in Sanliurfa, Turkiye
title_full Evaluation of T. gondii, rubella, and cytomegalovirus seroprevalences among female Syrian refugees in Sanliurfa, Turkiye
title_fullStr Evaluation of T. gondii, rubella, and cytomegalovirus seroprevalences among female Syrian refugees in Sanliurfa, Turkiye
title_full_unstemmed Evaluation of T. gondii, rubella, and cytomegalovirus seroprevalences among female Syrian refugees in Sanliurfa, Turkiye
title_short Evaluation of T. gondii, rubella, and cytomegalovirus seroprevalences among female Syrian refugees in Sanliurfa, Turkiye
title_sort evaluation of t gondii rubella and cytomegalovirus seroprevalences among female syrian refugees in sanliurfa turkiye
topic Toxoplasma gondii
cytomegalovirus
rubella
url https://jidc.org/index.php/journal/article/view/18614
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