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Updated: Aug 9, 2026

Determination of Chemical Inhibitor Efficiency against Intracellular Toxoplasma Gondii Growth Using a Luciferase-Based Growth Assay
Published on: April 29, 2020
Quantitative detection of Toxoplasma gondii DNA in human body fluids by TaqMan polymerase chain reaction
O Kupferschmidt1, D Krüger, T K Held
1Robert-Koch-Institut, Parasitologie/Mykologie, Nordufer 20, D-13353 Berlin, Germany. kruegerd@rki.de
Objective:
A new quantitative polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR) was designed to detect Toxoplasma DNA in human body fluid samples.
Methods:
Real-time fluorescence detection of amplification product formation on the basis of the TaqMan-System was established with Toxoplasma 18S rDNA as a target gene.
Results:
The method provides a high sensitivity comparable to conventional nested PCR procedures and generates quantitative data when detecting toxoplasmic DNA in human blood, cerebrospinal or amniotic fluid. Moreover, data were obtained investigating blood samples from an immunocompromised patient with reactivated toxoplasmosis after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation, monitoring the therapeutic effect.
Conclusions:
The potential application of this method to detect Toxoplasma DNA in body fluids and to follow the development of parasitemia under therapy could be demonstrated.
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