Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Healthy Volunteer Blood Donors Using Serological and Molecular Methods from Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, Southwest Iran

Abstract

Background: Toxoplasmosis is a ubiquitous zoonotic disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii. Blood and blood products can be a probable route of T. gondii transmission, especially in patients undergoing multiple transfusions. Objectives: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine the prevalence of T. gondii infection among healthy blood donors in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province. Methods: We collected 385 blood samples from blood donors referring to the three biggest Blood Transfusion Organization Centers in the province during the period from January to June 2017. IgG and IgM antibodies against T. gondii were examined using enzymelinked immunosorbent assay. Moreover, all samples were tested by loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method for the detection of DNA of T. gondii. Results: The seroprevalence rates of IgG and IgM anti-T. gondii antibodies were 37.9% and 1.56%, respectively. With the LAMP method, 1.56% of the samples were positive for the DNA of T. gondii. Of these, four (1.04%) were seropositive for both IgG and IgM and two (0.52%) were positive only for IgG. Moreover, statistical analyses indicated that several risk factors including gender, age, contact with cats, and consumption of undercooked meat were significantly related to T. gondii seropositivity in blood donors. Conclusions: This study indicated that anti-T. gondii antibodies were highly prevalent among apparently healthy blood donors in Southwest Iran. There was a possibility of infection transmission by blood transfusion while there is a lack of screening tests for Toxoplasma infection in the Blood Transfusion Organizations. It is strongly suggested that appropriate and sensitive screening programs be designed by the LAMP method for the detection of T. gondii in blood donors.

Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence in the Iranian blood donors: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Included studies were performed in 12 provinces in Iran (Khorasan Razavi, Tehran, Kerman, Fars, Mazandaran, West Azerbaijan, Sistan and Baluchistan, Hamadan, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Khuzestan, and Ardabil), and most studies were done in Khorasan Razavi and Fars (n = 3 per province), as well as Tehran, Kerman, and Mazandaran (n = 2 per province). Among 19 included studies [ [26] , [27] , [28] , [29] , [30] , [31] , [32] , [33] , [34] , [35] , [36] , [37] , [38] , [39] , [40] , [41] , [42] , [43] , [44] ], 8226 apparently healthy blood donors were tested regarding T. gondii -specific IgG and/or IgM antibodies, among which 32.9% (95% CI: 25.3%–41.6%) were seropositive only for IgG, 1.4% (95% CI: 0.9%–2.1%) were seropositive only for IgM, and 1.7% (95% CI: 1.3%–2.1%) were positive for both IgG and IgM antibodies ( Fig. 2 A–C).…”

“…of blood donors No. seropositive for T. gondii Pooled seroprevalence (95% CI) OR (95% CI) P -value Heterogeneity I 2 (%) References Gender Male 11 5162 1821 38.8 (28.6–50.0) 1 [ 26 , [31] , [32] , [33] , [36] , [37] , [38] , 40 , [42] , [43] , [44] ] Female 451 230 54.5 (42.6–65.9) 1.98 (1.52–2.58) < 0.001 23.7 Residence Urban 8 2479 976 38.3 (27.7–50.1) 1 [ 33 , 36 , [38] , [39] , [40] , [42] , [43] , [44] ] Rural 1044 500 45.4 (30.2–61.5) 1.37 (0.97–1.93) 0.069 73.8 Blood group A 9 1467 510 …”

Toxoplasma infection and Rhesus blood group system: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…The articles that were of moderate [ 25 , 30 , 32 – 36 , 38 – 40 , 42 , 43 , 45 ] and high quality [ 19 , 22 – 24 , 31 , 37 , 41 , 44 ] using the NOS checklist were included in the meta-analysis. The quality scores of the various eligible studies are presented in S2 File .…”