Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii among Iranian Blood Donors: A Narrative Review Article

BACKGROUND: Toxoplasmosis is a common parasitic disease. There is likelihood of exposure to Toxoplasma gondii in blood donors during the periods of life. Currently, laboratory screening of blood donors for T. gondii is not routinely available. The objectives of this review were to study the effects of T. gondii on blood safety and to approach for risk reduction in blood recipients. METHODS: A literature search was performed using Cochrane library, PubMed, Scopus, Google scholar IranMedex, SID and Magiran without time limitation. All studies, which had reported the prevalence of T. gondii in Iranian blood donors in both English and Farsi languages, were evaluated and reviewed. The contents of the transfusion medicine text books related to this issue were reviewed. Searching keywords were “Blood Donors” or “Blood Transfusion” and “Toxoplasma” or “Toxoplasmosis” and Iran. RESULTS: In order to study the prevalence of T. gondii in Iranian blood donors, six studies have been reviewed. IgG and IgM antibodies varied between 12.3% to 52.8% and 0% to 5.47%. Some of these studies have suggested to doing the screening for all blood donors. However, based on parasitological and epidemiological evidences, there is little chance for parasite transmission by blood transfusion. CONCLUSION: By considering the moderate prevalence, difficulty in the differentiation between recent and past infections, and cost-effectiveness, it is not possible and rational to perform screening of donated blood. To reduce the risk of parasite transmission, leukofilteration method is recommended.