SEROLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR DIAGNOSIS OF Toxoplasma gondii

This study aimed to determine the immune status of pregnant women at the Central Hospital of Ain Naâdja (HCA) in Algeria. For this purpose, the identification of anti-Toxoplasma immunoglobulins IgG and IgM by ELFA test was carried out in 393 patients, as well as the comparison of the serological profile for the mother-child, serum-aqueous humor pairs by the Western Blot (WB) assay. Parasite search was done by standard PCR on placenta samples using JW62/JW63 primer. The results obtained from 393 serums collected showed that: 40.96% of the pregnant women having a serological profile in favor of an old Toxoplasmosis, and 59.03% were not immunized (P<0.05). Serological comparison by WB analysis of the pairs revealed that 90.1% of the couples possessing the same serological profile (negative), and 9.09% were positive (congenital toxoplasmosis) (P<0.05). To conclude, The PCR performed on placentas showed a high level of specificity for diagnosis. It allows early diagnosis and should be recommended for identification of congenital infection.