{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,4]],"date-time":"2026-08-04T20:39:48Z","timestamp":1785875988906,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,8,29]],"date-time":"2024-08-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1724889600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Toxoplasmosis ranks among the most prevalent parasitic diseases globally. It seems that chronic toxoplasmosis is associated with several neuropsychiatric and other harmful effects in infected people, therefore, there is a need to investigate the prevalence of toxoplasmosis across various world regions. In this study, we conducted a meticulous meta-analysis to estimate the seroprevalence of anti-<jats:italic>Toxoplasma gondii<\/jats:italic> IgG antibodies within the general population in Iran (GPI). International and national scientific databases for studies published between January 1, 2000, and September 30, 2023, were searched. Observational studies reporting anti-<jats:italic>T<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>gondii<\/jats:italic> IgG seroprevalence in the GPI was selected\/included. The data were synthesized using a random-effects model to calculate with a 95% confidence interval (95% CI) the national and regional anti-<jats:italic>T<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>gondii<\/jats:italic> IgG seroprevalence rates in Iran. Additionally, subgroup analyses were conducted to investigate the frequency of exposition to <jats:italic>T<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>gondii<\/jats:italic> in different socio-demographic, climatic, and geographical scenarios. From 18661 identified studies, 327 were included in the present meta-analysis, encompassing 122,882 individuals across the 31 Iranian provinces. The pooled nationwide anti-<jats:italic>T<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>gondii<\/jats:italic> IgG seroprevalence among the GPI was determined to be 32.9% (95% CI: 30.9\u201335.1%). The highest anti-<jats:italic>T<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>gondii<\/jats:italic> IgG seroprevalence was observed in Mazandaran province (North of Iran) (61%), whereas the lowest was in Semnan province (12.5%).Anti-<jats:italic>T<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>gondii<\/jats:italic> IgG seroprevalence demonstrated a higher occurrence in provinces characterized by moderate temperatures of 16\u201321\u00b0C, high relative humidity, and annual precipitation. Additionally, a higher anti-<jats:italic>T<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>gondii<\/jats:italic> IgG seroprevalence was identified among individuals with a habit of consumption of undercooked meat, raw fruits or vegetables, and untreated water. Moreover, those reporting direct contact with cats, possessing a lower level of education, residing in rural areas, being engaged in farming occupations, or playing the role of housewives exhibited higher anti-<jats:italic>T<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>gondii<\/jats:italic> IgG seroprevalence figures.The anti-<jats:italic>T<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>gondii<\/jats:italic> IgG seroprevalence within GPI closely aligns with the estimated worldwide average exposition rates. This underscores the imperative for public health policymakers to prioritize educational efforts regarding toxoplasmosis transmission pathways and its link to harmful effects.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0307941","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,8,29]],"date-time":"2024-08-29T19:45:42Z","timestamp":1724960742000},"page":"e0307941","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":16,"title":["Anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgG seroprevalence in the general population in Iran: A systematic review and meta-analysis, 2000\u20132023"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"19","author":[{"given":"Faezeh","family":"Hamidi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ali","family":"Rostami","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Seyed Abdollah","family":"Hosseini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2323-0135","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Rafael","family":"Calero-Bernal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jafar","family":"Hajavi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Reza","family":"Ahmadi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0459-9287","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Hossein","family":"Pazoki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,8,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"pone.0307941.ref001","volume-title":"Parasites\u2013Toxoplasmosis (Toxoplasma infection).","author":"CDC","year":"2015"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0307941.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"307","DOI":"10.1016\/j.canlet.2015.01.036","article-title":"Toxoplasma gondii infection in cancer patients: prevalence, risk factors, genotypes and association with clinical diagnosis","volume":"359","author":"W Cong","year":"2015","journal-title":"Cancer Lett"},{"key":"pone.0307941.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1526","DOI":"10.1002\/lt.21558","article-title":"Incidence and diagnosis of active Toxoplasma infection among liver transplant recipients in Western Turkey.","volume":"14","author":"A Caner","year":"2008","journal-title":"Liver Transpl"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0307941.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"469","DOI":"10.1097\/QAD.0000000000002424","article-title":"Global status of Toxoplasma gondii infection and associated risk factors in people living with HIV","volume":"34","author":"H Safarpour","year":"2020","journal-title":"AIDS"},{"key":"pone.0307941.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"44","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ejogrb.2020.10.003","article-title":"Toxoplasmosis in pregnancy.","volume":"255","author":"M Ahmed","year":"2020","journal-title":"Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol X"},{"issue":"6","key":"pone.0307941.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"178","DOI":"10.1186\/1471-2334-6-178","article-title":"Seroepidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii infection in psychiatric inpatients in a northern Mexican city.","volume":"19","author":"C Alvarado-Esquivel","year":"2006","journal-title":"BMC Infect Dis."},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0307941.ref007","first-page":"31","article-title":"Toxoplasma Infection in Schizophrenia Patients: A Comparative Study with Control Group.","volume":"6","author":"A Alipour","year":"2011","journal-title":"Iran J Parasitol"},{"issue":"10","key":"pone.0307941.ref008","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2689","DOI":"10.1007\/s00203-020-01993-x","article-title":"Fallahi Sh. 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