Seroprevalence of and risk factors for Toxoplasma gondii antibodies among asymptomatic blood donors in Egypt

Abstract

A cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate the seroprevalence of and risk factors for Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in 260 blood donors seen at blood banks in Mansoura University Hospital, Egypt. Blood donors were interviewed about sociodemographic characteristics and risk factors for T. gondii infection. A blood sample was taken to document their T. gondii antibody status using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Overall, 155 (59.6%) of 260 blood donors were positive for anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed a significant association between T. gondii seropositivity and eating meat by-products (luncheon/shawerma) (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 80.82 [95% CI 18.62-350.81], P < 0.0001) or being non-educated (adjusted OR 32.25 [95% CI 7.46-139.44], P < 0.0001). These findings highlight that T. gondii is prevalent among blood donors in Egypt.

Sero-epidemiology and risk factors for Toxoplasma gondii among pregnant women in Arab and African countries

“…Similar results from Mali showed that the risk of infection increases with the increase in maternal age (Ouologuem et al 2013). This is supported by studies from Arabs countries (Mohammad et al 2012;Al-Qurashi et al 2001) and a large study from Egypt which showed that the prevalence of Toxoplasma infection increases with age (Elsheikha et al 2009). On the other hand, age is not found to be associated with toxoplasma infection among Chinese pregnant women (Sun et al 2006).…”

“…Kitchen hygiene should be improved, including avoiding drinking contaminated liquids or consuming inadequately washed vegetables and fruits. Health education about preventive measures is the most accessible and cost-effective method (Elsheikha et al 2009). …”

“…In the Gulf region, there is a tendency towards decentralization of health care delivery management, autonomy of health facilities, and adoption of advanced methods of health services. In contrast, in African and African Arab countries there is a lack of distribution of facilities for economic and political reasons, bureaucracy and hierarchy, lack of knowledge, and lack of basic skills among health systems (Elsheikha et al 2009). …”

Seroepidemiology of Toxoplasma Gondii Infection in Women with First Trimester Spontaneous Miscarriage in Qena Governorate, Egypt

“…We cannot grantee that it was responsible for pregnancy loss in this study. In pregnancy, it is mandatory to perform additional conclusive tests that must include, IgG avidity test, PCR, IgA and IgE, on individuals with both positive IgG and IgM [19], because Toxoplasma-specific IgM antibodies may be persist as long as 18 months after acute acquired infection [20].…”

Prevalence of IgG and IgM anti-Toxoplasma gondii Antibodies in Blood Donors at Urmia Blood Transfusion Organization, Iran

“…Samples from 385 healthy blood donors from central Turkey were examined for anti-T. gondii antibodies using the indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The seroprevalence of the anti-T. gondii IgG and IgM antibodies was 19.5% and 2.33% with IFAT, respectively, and 20.25% and 2.33% with ELISA, respectively (7)(8)(9). Different studies conducted in Iran have also produced different results.…”