Seroepidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii infection among patients with beta-thalassemia major: a case-control study in Southeastern Iran

• Published in: BMC infectious diseases Vol. 25; no. 1; pp. 867 - 9
• Main Authors: Baloochi, Mehdi, Amini Fard, Mohammad-Reza, Ordoni, Ramin, Pendar, Atefeh, Vafae Eslahi, Aida, Badri, Milad, Dezhkam, Asiyeh, Kalkali, Marziyeh, Rahdar, Hossein-Ali, Mohammadi, Mola, Sepasi, Zarineh, Javidan, Moslem, Ahmadpour, Ehsan, Hatam-Nahavandi, Kareem
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 01.07.2025; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Analysis; Antibodies; Asymptomatic; Beta-thalassemia major; Blood & organ donations; Blood diseases; Blood donors; Blood transfusion; Blood transfusions; Care and treatment; Case studies; Complications and side effects; Cysts; Diagnosis; ELISA; Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; Enzymes; Feces; Females; Health aspects; Health care; Health risks; Hemoglobin; Immunoglobulin G; Immunoglobulin M; Infections; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Parasites; Patients; Population; Prognosis; Protozoa; Regression models; Risk factors; Seroepidemiology; Serology; Statistical analysis; Thalassemia; Toxoplasma gondii; Toxoplasmosis; Transfusion; Iran; United States > US; Beta-thalassemia major; Toxoplasma gondii; Blood transfusion; ELISA
• ISSN: 1471-2334; 1471-2334
• DOI: 10.1186/s12879-025-11243-4

Toxoplasmosis could potentially be transmitted via blood transfusions from asymptomatic donors to patients with beta-thalassemia major (BTM) who regularly receive transfusions. Nevertheless, screening for toxoplasmosis prior to blood donation has not been implemented, representing a significant gap in transfusion safety protocols. This study aimed to investigate the seroprevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in BTM patients undergoing blood transfusion. The current case-control study was conducted among 270 patients and 90 controls in Southeastern Iran, from September to December 2024. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was utilized to detect anti-T. gondii IgG and IgM antibodies in serum samples. A binomial logistic regression model was employed to analyze the association between toxoplasmosis and its determinants. The seropositivity rate for anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies was 9.3% (25/270) in the patients and 8.9% (8/90) in the controls. The difference between the two groups was not statistically significant (OR = 1.05; 95% CI: 0.45-2.41; p = 0.916). Anti-T. gondii IgM antibodies were detected in the patients with a seropositivity rate of 1.5% (4/270). In the controls, the seropositivity rate for anti-T. gondii IgM antibodies was 0.0% (0/90). None of the participants' characteristics were found to be associated with the infection. Anti-T. gondii antibodies were detected at relatively low seroprevalence rates in both patients and controls. The presence of toxoplasmosis in these patients highlights the critical need for appropriate strategies to reduce the risk of infection, as the population appears to be mostly non-immune. It is essential to implement routine screening of blood for specific antibodies against T. gondii before transfusions in these patients to mitigate the risk of infection. This is the first study assessing the seroprevalence of T. gondii antibodies among patients with BTM in Southeastern Iran.