Seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in France: first study in blood donors

The seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis is well-described in French pregnant women, but no data are available in the general population. This study investigated 1,995 blood donors (sex ratio = 1), aged 18 to > 70 years (mean 44.8). The seroprevalence was 51% and increased with age, reaching almost 90% in patients > 70. Men exhibited a higher seroprevalence than women in age group 30–39 (41.1% vs 27.6%, p  < 0.05). Multivariate analysis confirmed that men were more likely to be infected than women (OR = 1.234, p < 0.05). The highest prevalences for Toxoplasma were observed in the Northern and South-Western regions of France (55.2 to 60.5%). The lowest prevalence was observed in the East (41.4%), and was significantly higher in men < 40 years. These data are consistent with prevalence studies conducted in French pregnant women, but shows for the first time that females are less frequently infected than male, particularly in some regions, which could motivate further epidemiological investigations.