Anti-toxoplasma gondii antibodies among volunteer blood donors in eastern Saudi Arabia

الملخص EN

A cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate the risk factors of Toxop-lasma gondii in 100 volunteer blood donors at blood bank.

Blood donors were interviewed about sociodemographic characteristics and risk factors toxoplas-mosis.

A required data were taken through a designed questionnaire.

Five ml.

Venous blood samples were withdrawn by disposable sterile syringes to sepa-rate sera.

Anti-Toxoplasma antibodies were evaluated by using ELISA. The results showed that 40 volunteers (40%) were positive for anti-T.

gondii IgG antibodies.

The T.

gondii positivity and the risk factors analysis in a des-cending order were manual activities (95%) compared to(15.0%), Contact with farm animals and/or birds(87.5%) compared to(30.0%), eating processed meat "shawerma" (87.5%) compared to(41.7%) raw milk or milk product(70%) compared to(50.0%), rural residence(62.5%) compared to(33.3%), non-educated(62.5%) compared to(16.7%), and least one was the contact with cats(55.0%) compared to(16.7%). These findings highlight the prevalent T.

gondii among blood donors and fo-cused on the risk factors.

It was recom-mended that blood donors should be free from Toxoplasma antibodies