Seroprevalence and Associated Risk Factors for Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Healthy Blood Donors: A Cross-Sectional Study in Sonora, Mexico

• Main Authors: Cosme Alvarado-Esquivel, Antonio Rascón-Careaga, Jesús Hernández-Tinoco, María Alba Guadalupe Corella-Madueño, Luis Francisco Sánchez-Anguiano, María Lourdes Aldana-Madrid, Edgar Velasquez-Vega, Trinidad Quizán-Plata, José Luis Navarro-Henze, Joel Alberto Badell-Luzardo, José María Gastélum-Cano, Oliver Liesenfeld
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hindawi Limited 2016-01-01
• Series: BioMed Research International
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/9597276
• ISSN: 2314-6133; 2314-6141

Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) can be transmitted by blood transfusion. We determined the prevalence of T. gondii infection in healthy blood donors in Hermosillo city, Mexico, and the association of infection with T. gondii with the sociodemographic, clinical, and behavioral characteristics of blood donors. Four hundred and eight blood donors who attended two public blood banks in Hermosillo city were examined for anti-T. gondii IgG and IgM antibodies by using enzyme-linked immunoassays. Of the 408 blood donors (mean age 31.77±9.52; range 18–60 years old) studied, 55 (13.5%) were positive for anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies, and 12 (21.8%) of them were also positive for anti-T. gondii IgM antibodies. Multivariate analysis showed that seropositivity to T. gondii was associated with age (OR = 1.74; 95% CI: 1.03–2.94; P=0.03) and tobacco use (OR = 2.09; 95% CI: 1.02–4.29; P=0.04). Seropositivity to T. gondii was correlated with the number of pregnancies, deliveries, and cesarean sections. The seroprevalence of T. gondii infection in blood donors in Sonora is the highest reported in blood donors in northern Mexico so far. This is the first report of an association of T. gondii exposure and tobacco use. Further research to confirm this association is needed.