Sadra Medical Journal

Seroprevalence of Immunoglobulin M and Immunoglobulin G Antibodies Against Rubella Virus Among Women Residing in Southern Iran

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Navid Omidifar 1
Mansoureh Shokripour 2
Mahsa Pakroo 3
Reza Rahimi 3
Bahareh Nikmanesh 4
Erfan Sadeghi 5
Hassan Akrami 4
Yousef Nikmanesh 4

1 Biotechnology Research Center and Department of Pathology, Medical School, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

2 Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

3 Student Research Committee, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

4 Gastroenterohepatology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

5 Department of Biostatistics, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

https://doi.org/10.30476/smsj.2026.107441.1654
Abstract
Introduction: Maternal rubella infection during the first trimester of pregnancy can have devastating consequences, including fetal death or the birth of infants with severe congenital anomalies. Given the paucity of data regarding rubella immunity among Iranian women, the present study aimed to investigate the seroprevalence of rubella-specific Immunoglobulin G (IgG) and Immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies in women attending the Shahid Motahari Clinic (Shiraz, Iran).
Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted retrospectively based on data collected from women who presented to Shahid Motahari Clinic for rubella serology testing from 2020 to 2023. In addition to rubella serology results, other laboratory data and demographic information were also collected. In cases where test results were ambiguous, serological testing was repeated with the patient’s consent. Baseline data were analyzed using IBM SPSS software (version 24).
Results: A total of 512 women were included in the study. The age distribution was as follows: 26 individuals (5.1%) were aged 10-20 years; 229 (44.7%) were aged 21-30 years; 214 (41.8%) were aged 31-40 years, 41 (8%) were aged 41-50 years; one individual (0.2%) was aged 51 to 60 years, one individual (0.2%) was aged 61-70 years; and no participants were in the 71-80 years age group. The IgG and IgM antibodies were detected in 98.8% and 1.2% of the study population, respectively.
Conclusion: The findings indicated that rubella vaccination in Iran has yielded promising results, with IgG antibodies present in 98.8% of the study population. Furthermore, statistical analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between age and IgG levels (r=0.224, P<0.001), indicating that IgG antibody titers increase with advancing age.
 

Keywords

Rubella
Immunoglobulin G
Immunoglobulin M
Prevalence
Women
Iran
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Sadra Medical Journal
Volume 14, Issue 1
Winter 2026
Pages 37-44

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