DETECTION OF TOXOPLASMOSIS AMONG WOMEN WITH ABORTION USING MOLECULAR AND SEROLOGICAL TESTS IN DUHOK CITY

Abstract

Background: Toxoplasmosis is accompanied with variable complications in pregnantwomen. The aim of this study was to detect the rate of Toxoplasma gondii infection amongaborted women with previous bad obstetrical history and women with no previous history ofabortion after normal labour by both serological and molecular techniques.Subject and Methods: A total of 100 pregnant women were included in the current studyadmitted to Gynecology and Obstetrics Hospital throughout the period from October 2014February 2015, in Duhok City/ Kurdistan Region/ Iraq. The placentae and blood samples of70 aborted women were tested serogecally using ChemlumencenseImmuno Assay and PCRtests, and 30 placental samples of normal women were tested using PCR technique only.Results: On serological screening by CLIA, 7/70 (10%) and 2/70 (2.8%) of aborted womenwere seropositive for anti-toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibodies, respectively. While, onconventional PCR, 55/70 (78.5%) of aborted women were positive against Toxoplasmagondii infection.According to gestational period, out of 57 cases in the first trimester, CLIA detected in 5(8.8%) and 1 (1.8%) anti-toxoplasma IgG, IgM antibodies respectively. The highest positiverate was 43 (75.4%) against T. gondii infection by PCR in the first trimester.A total of 10 cases in the second trimester, 2 cases (20%) and one case (10%) wereseropositive for anti-toxoplasma IgG, and IgM antibodies were detected by CLIArespectively, while 9 (90%) cases were positive by PCR in the second trimester, in the thirdtrimester none were seropositive, and all cases (100%) were PCR positive.Conclusion: The current study showed high infection rate of toxoplasmosis among abortedwomen in Duhok city Kurdistan region of Iraq. There is a need to introduce PCR as aconfirmatory test for detection of acute toxoplasmosis with serological tests.