ABSTRACT

The importance of toxoplasmosis lies in its global spread, opportunistic nature, and causative role in abortion or irreparable adverse effects on infants of infected pregnant women. Toxoplasma gondii has different transmission routes to humans, including blood transfusion. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of IgG and IgM antibodies specific for T. gondii in blood donors at the Urmia Blood Transfusion Organization in west Azerbaijan, Iran.

The present analytical, descriptive study evaluated the plasma of 270 randomly selected blood bags donated in 2013. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test was employed to measure anti-T. gondii IgG and IgM antibodies.

The results of the ELISA test showed that 102 samples (37.8%) from 270 blood bags had IgG antibodies in their plasma and none of them were IgM-positive, whereas 98 were men and four were women.

Any increase in the level of IgM antibodies indicates the presence of an acute disease because the parasite is inside white blood cells and contaminates blood transfusion. Fortunately, all samples were IgM-negative. However, a province-wide seroepidemiological study is required for the Blood Transfusion Organization to consider including screening for anti-T. gondii antibodies in its screening programs.

Keywords: Prevalence, toxoplasma gondii, Blood donor, Urmia, Iran