Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Immunocompromised Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

<i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> has been suggested as an important opportunistic pathogen in immunocompromised patients. We conducted a global meta-analysis to assess the prevalence and odds ratios (ORs) of <i>T. gondii</i> infection in immunocompromised individuals. Electronic databases were reviewed for <i>T. gondii</i> infection in HIV/AIDS patients, cancer patients, and transplant recipients, and meta-analyses were conducted to calculate overall estimated prevalence and ORs using random or fixed-effects models. Totally, 72 eligible studies were included. The estimated pooled prevalence of <i>T. gondii</i> infection in immunocompromised patients and the control was 35.9 and 24.7% (<i>p</i> < 0.001), with an OR of 2.24, i.e., 42.1 and 32.0% for HIV/AIDS patients and the control (<i>p</i> < 0.05), 26.0 and 12.1% for cancer patients and the control (<i>p</i> < 0.001), and 42.1 and 34.5% for transplant recipients and the control (<i>p</i> > 0.05), whose estimated pooled ORs were 1.92 (95% CI, 1.44-2.55), 2.89 (95% CI, 2.36-3.55), and 1.51 (95% CI, 1.16-1.95), respectively. This study is the first to demonstrate that the immunocompromised patients are associated with higher odds of <i>T. gondii</i> infection, and appropriate prevention and control measures are highly recommended for these susceptible populations.