Endemic in Central and South America and Mexico, Chagas disease is a potentially life-threatening disease caused by Trypanosome cruzi parasites and transmitted by the bite of triatomine bugs or vertically from mother-to-child during birth. A handful of T. cruzi transfusion-transmitted infections have also been identified among platelet products. While most blood centers in Latin America test for Chagas disease, selective testing of donors at risk occurs in many non-endemic countries, including Canada and the United States. A recent study reported approximately 15 years of screening at-risk blood donors in Canada from 2010 to 2024. Of the 1.6 million first-time donors at Canadian Blood Services (CBS) and Héma-Québec, 67,490 donors were screened for T. cruzi antibodies based on risk factors for Chagas disease (birth in Latin America, mother or grandmother birth in Latin America, and/or travel to Latin America for at least 30 days). Over the study period, 27 donors were positive for T. cruzi antibodies (21 CBS donors). Approximately half of seropositive CBS donors were female and 50 years of age or older. Twenty of twenty-one seropositive CBS donors were born in Latin America with the only exception being a 17-year-old female with a mother or grandmother born in Latin America. Travel to Latin America was not associated with T. cruzi seroprevalence. Further surveillance of Chagas disease is needed, especially among donors born from Latin America.
Reference:
