Background: Primary infection with toxoplasmosis during pregnancy can be transmitted to the fetus and may cause serious complications. Considering the importance of toxoplasmosis, the present study was conducted to determine the seroprevalence of toxoplasma gondii (T.gondii) toxoplasmosis in women of child-bearing age in Ilam.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted during April 2015 and March 2017, on women of child-bearing age (15-49 years old) that referred to laboratories in Ilam. Sampling was done based on census. Five milliliter venous blood was collected from each participant and the samples were examined using ELISA method. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS ver. 17. In the analytical statistics, Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests were used.
Results: A total 797 women of child-bearing age with mean age of 29.92 ± 7.23 years were examined in this study. The total seroprevalence of T. gondii was 23.46% (187 cases). The seroprevalence of IgG and IgM antibodies against T. gondii was 23.4% and 0.6%, respectively. The relationship between seroprevalence of IgM antibody and age (P= 0.37), level of education (P= 0.501), occupation (P= 0.20), and residence (P= 0.761) were not significant. The relationship between seroprevalence of IgG antibody and level of education (P= 0.196), occupation (P= 0.711), and residence (P= 0.101) were not significant but it was significantly associated with age (P< 0.001).
 
 
Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the seroprevalence of IgG antibody against T. gondii is 23.7%, which is relatively high. Prenatal screening can help to identify susceptible women to T. gondii.

Keywords: Toxoplasma Gondii, Women, Reproductive, Antibodies