Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite which can be transmitted to human through a variety of routes including blood transfusion. This cross sectional study aimed to evaluate the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma infection and related epidemiological features among healthy blood donors. A total of 1,480 healthy blood donors from five blood service centers in Fars province were analyzed for anti-Toxoplasma antibodies. Blood samples were tested for anti-T. gondii IgG and IgM antibodies by enzyme immunoassay. IgM-positive samples were also tested for the presence of Toxoplasma DNA by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Demographic characteristics of participants were also recorded during samples collection. Anti T. gondii antibodies were detected in sera of 286 out of 1,480 blood donors corresponding to an overall seroprevalence of 19.3% in this population. From these, 182 (12.3%) were seropositive only for IgG, 81 (5.47%) were seropositive only for IgM and 23 (1.6%) were positive for both IgG and IgM. PCR detected active parasitemia in two (1.9%) of the IgM-positive subjects. Age, place of residence and level of education were statistically significant (p < 0.05) with seropositivity to Toxoplasma. Our results highlighted that asymptomatic blood donors, especially those with active parasitemia, may constitute a significant risk of transmitting toxoplasmosis to susceptible recipients.
Highlights
Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite which can be transmitted to human through a variety of routes including blood transfusion
Anti T. gondii antibodies was detected in sera of 286 out of 1,480 blood donors corresponding to an overall seroprevalence of 19.3% in this population
We found an overall seroprevalence of 19.3% in blood donors
Summary
Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite which can be transmitted to human through a variety of routes including blood transfusion. This cross sectional study aimed to evaluate the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma infection and related epidemiological features among healthy blood donors. Blood samples were tested for anti-T. gondii IgG and IgM antibodies by enzyme immunoassay. Results: Anti T. gondii antibodies were detected in sera of 286 out of 1,480 blood donors corresponding to an overall seroprevalence of 19.3% in this population. Conclusions: Our results highlighted that asymptomatic blood donors, especially those with active parasitemia, may constitute a significant risk of transmitting toxoplasmosis to susceptible recipients. Toxoplasma infection can be transmitted through organ transplantation and whole blood or white blood cell transfusion from a seropositive donor to a seronegative recipient [4]
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