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Related Experiment Videos

Strategies for detecting toxoplasma immunity.

D Ashburn1, R Evans, J M W Chatterton

  • 1Scottish Toxoplasma Reference Laboratory, Microbiology Department, Raigmore Hospital, Inverness 1V2 3UJ. microbiology@haht.scot.nhs.uk

British Journal of Biomedical Science
|July 18, 2003
PubMed
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Identifying toxoplasma immunity requires careful testing strategies. Current screening methods may provide false reassurance or miss infections, necessitating further specific tests for pregnant and immunocompromised individuals.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Clinical Diagnostics
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Accurate identification of toxoplasma immunity is crucial for managing pregnant women and immunocompromised patients.
  • Existing screening strategies must balance sensitivity and specificity to avoid misdiagnosis and ensure appropriate patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the performance of an in-house IgG enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and two commercial assays (Abbott AxSYM Toxo-G, Eiken latex test) against the dye test for toxoplasma immunity screening.
  • To assess the suitability of these assays for identifying immunity in pregnant and immunocompromised patient groups.

Main Methods:

  • Sera from pregnant and immunocompromised patients were tested using an in-house IgG EIA, Abbott AxSYM Toxo-G, Eiken latex test, and the gold standard dye test.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Comparative analysis of false-positive and false-negative rates across the different assays.

    • Main Results:

    • The IgG EIA and Abbott AxSYM Toxo-G produced false-positive results.
    • All three screening tests (IgG EIA, AxSYM Toxo-G, Eiken latex) yielded false negatives.
    • Positive results from screening tests may falsely reassure pregnant patients, highlighting the need for toxoplasma-specific IgM testing.
    • In immunocompromised patients, negative screening results do not exclude infection and require confirmation with the dye test.

    Conclusions:

    • Current screening assays for toxoplasma immunity have limitations, including false positives and negatives.
    • Specific testing protocols are recommended for pregnant (IgM testing) and immunocompromised (dye test confirmation) individuals.
    • Despite limitations, immunity screening for toxoplasmosis can be implemented within a district general hospital setting.