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. 2025 Jul 1;25(1):867.
doi: 10.1186/s12879-025-11243-4.

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

Mehdi Baloochi  1 , Mohammad-Reza Amini Fard  2 , Ramin Ordoni  3 , Atefeh Pendar  4 , Aida Vafae Eslahi  5 , Milad Badri  5 , Asiyeh Dezhkam  1 , Marziyeh Kalkali  2 , Hossein-Ali Rahdar  6 , Mola Mohammadi  7 , Zarineh Sepasi  2 , Moslem Javidan  8 , Ehsan Ahmadpour  9 , Kareem Hatam-Nahavandi  10
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Seroepidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii infection among patients with beta-thalassemia major: a case-control study in Southeastern Iran

Mehdi Baloochi et al. BMC Infect Dis. .

Abstract

Background: 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.

Methods: 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.

Results: 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.

Conclusion: 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.

Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12879-025-11243-4.

Keywords: Toxoplasma gondii; Beta-thalassemia major; Blood transfusion; ELISA.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: All procedures were conducted in accordance with the recommendations outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki. The research protocol was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Iranshahr University of Medical Sciences, under ethical code IR.IRSHUMS.REC.1403.020. All participants in our study provided informed consent prior to their inclusion. We adhered to all relevant guidelines and regulations throughout the study. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

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