Background and Aim: Infection of Toxoplasma gondii is a worldwide distribution. Toxoplasmosis in patients who are immunocompromised by virtue of underlying leukemia disease has received relatively little attention. This study was aimed to evaluate IgG and IgM antibodies of T. gondii and to minimize the role of T. gondii and opportunistic infection complication at the early stage of infection in leukemia patients.

Materials and Methods: The purpose of this assay was to measure anti-T. gondii IgG and IgM antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique in leukemia patients.

Results: IgG antibodies against T. gondii were detected by ELISA in 96 (56.4%) leukemia patients and 72 (42.4%) control group. IgM antibodies were found in 10 patients (5.9%) with leukemia and 3 (1.8%) in the corresponding.

Conclusion: Our finding indicated that leukemia patients under immunosuppressive condition should not be neglected. Toxoplasmosis in leukemia patients as a main risk factor is considered, meanwhile in some patients, due to possibility of the presence of secondary infection that leads to severe toxoplasmosis.

Keywords: acute myeloid leukemia, chronic myeloid leukemia, Toxoplasma gondii.

1. Liu, Q., Singla, LD. and Zhou, H. (2012) Vaccines against Toxoplasma gondii: Status, challenges and future directions. Hum. Vaccin. Immunother., 8(9): 1305-1308. [Crossref] [PubMed] [PMC]

2. Moncada, PA. and Montoya, JG. (2012) Toxoplasmosis in the fetus and newborn: An update on prevalence, diagnosis and treatment. Expert Rev. Anti. Infect. Ther., 10(7): 815-828. [Crossref] [PubMed]

3. Liu, Q., Wang, Z., Huang, S. and Zhu, XQ. (2015) Diagnosis of toxoplasmosis and typing of Toxoplasma gondii. Parasit. Vectors., 28(8): 292. [PubMed]

4. Blader, I.J., Coleman, B.I., Chen, C.T. and Gubbels, M.J. (2015) Lytic cycle of Toxoplasma gondii: 15 years later. Annu. Rev. Microbiol., 69: 463-485. [Crossref] [PubMed] [PMC]

5. Gangneux, F., Sterkers, Y., Year, H., Accoceberry, I., Menotti, J. and Cassaing, S. (2015) Molecular diagnosis of toxoplasmosis in immunocompromised patients: A 3-year multicenter retrospective study. J. Clin. Microbiol., 53(5): 1677-1684. [Crossref] [PubMed] [PMC]

6. Yuan, Z., Gao, S., Liu, Q., Xia, X., Liu, X., Liu, B. and Hu, R. (2007) Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in cancer patients. Cancer Lett., 254(1): 71-74. [Crossref] [PubMed]

7. Evering, T. and Weiss, L.M. (2006) The immunology of parasite infections in immunocompromised hosts. Parasite Immunol., 28(11): 549-565. [Crossref]

8. Ferreira, M.S. and Borges, A.S. (2002) Some aspects of protozoan infections in immunocompromised patients. Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz, 97(4): 443-457. [Crossref]

9. McPherson, R.A. and Pincus, M.R. (2011) Henry's Clinical Diagnosis and Management by Laboratory Methods. 22nd ed. Saunders, W.B, America. p656-660.

10. Gharavi, M.J., Shraf, F., Vosough, P. and Rokni, M.B. (2003) Survey of intestinal parasitic infection in leukemic children and evaluation of their serum immunoglobulins. Iran. J. Public Health, 32(1): 19-21.

11. Yazar, S., Yaman, O., Eser, B., Altuntas, F., Kurnaz, F. and Sahin, I. (2004) Investigation of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in patients with neoplasia. J. Med. Microbiol., 53: 1183-1186. [Crossref] [PubMed]

12. Ghasemian, M., Maraghi, S.H., Saki, J. and Pedram, M. (2007) Determination of antibodies (IgG, IgM) against Toxoplasma gondii in patients with cancer. Iran. J. Parasitol., 2(4):1-6.

13. Gharavi, M.J., Jalali, S., Khademvatan, S.H. and Heydari, S. (2011) Detection of IgM and IgG anti Toxoplasma antibodies in renal transplant recipient using ELFA, ELISA and ISAGA methods: Comparison of pre-and post-transplantation status. Ann. Trop. Med. Parasitol., 105(5): 367-371. [Crossref] [PubMed] [PMC]