Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii Infection Among Blood Donors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Abstract

Our study aims to thoroughly evaluate the prevalence of <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> infection among blood donors, utilizing robust methodologies to inform public health policies and improve transfusion safety measures. An extensive literature search was executed across databases such as Medline, Scopus, and Cochrane Central, identifying observational studies reporting <i>T. gondii</i> seroreactivity and detection prevalence in blood donors across various regions. Heterogeneity was assessed visually via forest plots and statistically using Cochran's Q test (with p-values) and the I² statistic with 95% CIs. The meta-analysis estimated pooled prevalence rates with a 95% CI and included rigorous quality assessments, outlier, and influential analyses to verify the findings' validity. Thirty-eight studies, published between 1998 and 2024, were incorporated into our review, revealing a <i>T. gondii</i> reactivity prevalence of 35.7% (95% CI: 29.8-42%) through serological diagnostic methods and 1.9% (95% CI: 0.2-4.9%) through molecular methods. The substantial heterogeneity detected across studies underscores the necessity for future investigations to explore the determinants of <i>T. gondii</i> reactivity and detection prevalence, addressing the review's identified limitations with more targeted research designs.