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Abstract Background Toxoplasma gondii is an acute or latent zoonotic abortifacient human protozoan. Women may be aborted due to recent or latent infection during pregnancy or order to flare up of the dormant bradyzoites to acute tachyzoites (latent opportunistic relapse). Aims 1) to validate the interpretation of IgM and IgG immunoglobulins seromonotoring with DNA comparative results in differentiating recent from latent T. gondii abortion. Method Blood with the corresponding placental or uterine wash samples were collected from 73 aborted Egyptian women from Cairo and Giza labour wards. Patients aborted in any of the phases (Ph-1, Ph-2, Ph-3 and Ph-4 were corresponding to abortion at the 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimesters plus females who gave birth with congenital anomalies), respectively. All aborted patients were assayed serologically by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) for IgM and IgG titers and the compatible DNA from placenta and uterine wash tissues by conventional Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) specific for T. gondii. Results Sero-positive aborted women were 50.7% by ELISA versus 37% by PCR. Not all T. gondii sero-positive aborted women were having T. gondii DNA or harboring compatible placental T. gondii cysts. This denotes that immunoglobulins alone are insufficient criteria for confirming toxoplasma abortion. Conclusion Immunoglobulins with DNA comparative results can possibly differentiate recent from latent T. gondii abortion at higher precision. We recommend the need for routine monitoring of T. gondii i.e. (pre-, during and post-delivery). Highlights • In Egypt, estimating the incidence of abortion from Toxoplasma in the absence of population based analysis and limited surveillance studies is challenging. • This study assessed the diagnostic role of combining quantitative PCR with immunoglobulin serological testing of Toxoplasma. • Titers of IgM and IgG, corresponding to DNA connect ecological and zoonotic interpretation. • Immunoglobulins when combined with quantitative DNA are useful in differentiating recent from latent infection at high precision. • Immunoglobulins when combined with quantitative DNA helps avoiding the complications, hospital admissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toxoplasma gondii is globally widespread obligate intracellular parasitic protozoan,It affects almost all warm-blooded animals including man. More than one third of human population is infected by this parasite. It can cause life threatening diseases both in immunocompromised as well as immunocompetent hosts. The symptoms of the disease arefever, seizures and ataxia. The parasite has heteroxenous lifecycle and reproduce both sexually and asexually. Sexual cycle is limited to the members of felidae while the asexual cycle completes in mammals and birds. The transmission of parasite to human occurs either by ingestion of poorly cooked meat of infected animals or by accidental intake of food contaminated with cat feces. The infection by toxoplasma results in acute disease, latent infection may also occur. In order to diagnose the disease different diagnostic methods are used like fecal microscopy, a primitive technique is still in use. Different molecular based approaches like serological methods for parasite diagnosis including Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Indirect Fluorescence Antibody Test, Modified Agglutination Test and many others are used for pathogen diagnosis by targeting stage specific immunoglobulins. DNA based approaches like PCR have made a significant advancement in the diagnoses of many pathogens includingT. gondii. Nested-PCR is considered to be more sensitive in diagnosis of toxoplasmosis. For more accurate and sensitive parasite detection, Real-Time PCR is more useful. This review is an attempt to highlight the global threat of the parasite. In addition; different diagnostic approaches are reviewed ranging from classical methods to recent advancements in molecular techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]