Evaluation of Toxoplasma infection in thalassemia major patients

This study aimed to the serological and molecular diagnosis of Toxoplasma gondii infections and related risk factors in patients with thalassemia major and healthy controls. This case-control study was performed in Shahrekord University of MedicalSciences, Shahrekord, west of Iran. Overall, ۲۳۵ patients with thalassemia major and ۲۳۵ healthy controls were enrolled. Assessment of anti-Toxoplasma antibodies in sera samples was performed using commercial ELISA kits. In order to the molecular investigate of T. gondii in blood samples, a relatively new molecular assay, LAMP technique based on Toxoplasma SAG۱ gene was conducted for the first time. The specificity of LAMP outer primers for the T. gondii detection was confirmed by sequencing the purified PCR product. ۵۱.۹% of thalassemia patients and ۳۴.۸% of healthy controls were positive for anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibodies, which the difference was statistically significant (P<۰.۰۱). In terms of anti-Toxoplasma IgM antibody, ۳.۴% of thalassemia patients and ۲.۱% of healthy individuals were positive, which the difference was not statistically significant (P=۱). Based on SAG۱-LAMP, ۹.۷۸% of the thalassemia patients and ۵.۹۵% of healthycontrols were positive for T. gondii DNA, which the difference was not statistically significant (P≤۰.۲۳۰). Thalassemia patients, probably due to repeated blood transfusion and consequently, immune deficiency, are at risk of transmitting Toxoplasma infection more than healthy people. Therefore, screening of Toxoplasma infection in blood transfusion centers may be effective in the prevention of toxoplasmosis in these patients.

کلیدواژه ها:

Thalassemia major ، Toxoplasma gondii ، Serology ، Loop-mediated isothermal amplification