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Sołowińska K, Holec-Gąsior L. IgM Antibody Detection as a Diagnostic Marker for Acute Toxoplasmosis: Current Status of Studies and Main Limitations. Antibodies (Basel) 2025; 14:44. [PMID: 40407696 PMCID: PMC12101336 DOI: 10.3390/antib14020044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2025] [Revised: 04/29/2025] [Accepted: 05/15/2025] [Indexed: 05/26/2025] Open
Abstract
Accurate dating of Toxoplasma gondii infection is essential for effective clinical management, particularly in pregnant women and immunocompromised individuals, where distinguishing acute from chronic infection informs treatment decisions. Serological detection of IgM antibodies is a key tool in diagnosing recent toxoplasmosis; however, its reliability is compromised by persistent IgM responses, cross-reactivity, and assay variability. While IgM lacks sufficient specificity to serve as a standalone marker of acute infection, it remains an important component of serological panels. This review summarizes current IgM detection methods and explores advancements aimed at improving diagnostic accuracy with a focus on recombinant antigens, which have emerged as promising alternatives to traditional Toxoplasma lysate antigen-based immunoassays. This paper also explores alternative methods of differentiating chronic and acute toxoplasmosis and outlines key areas for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lucyna Holec-Gąsior
- Department of Biotechnology and Microbiology, Faculty of Chemistry, Gdańsk University of Technology, 11/12 Narutowicza Str., 80-233 Gdańsk, Poland;
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Tork M, Sarvi S, Asgarian-Omran H, Sadeghi M, Basirpour B, Hatami Nejad M, Gholami S, Hosseini SA, Daryani A, Aghayan SA. Design and optimization of IgG avidity test for differentiating acute from chronic human toxoplasmosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Exp Parasitol 2025; 268:108883. [PMID: 39722312 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2024.108883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2024] [Revised: 11/12/2024] [Accepted: 12/17/2024] [Indexed: 12/28/2024]
Abstract
Toxoplasmosis which is caused by T. gondii, is common among humans and animals. T. gondii is a threat to the fetus and individuals with immune disorders, especially patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and individuals who undergo organ transplants. Therefore, quick diagnosis and accurate differentiation of acute and chronic stages are essential. One of the important serological methods in differentiating stages of the disease and the time of acquiring the infection is evaluating the IgG avidity. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, keywords were searched in databases including PubMed, Science Direct, ProQuest, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Included studies were collected after checking the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and according to the PRISMA flow chart. Finally, the data were analyzed by StatsDirect statistical software and random-effects model. A total of 10 studies (26 datasets) were eligible for analysis. The random effects model estimated the prevalence of low IgG avidity in acute toxoplasmosis using in-house IgG avidity tests of 84% and chronic toxoplasmosis infection using in-house IgG avidity of 91%. The IgG avidity test can be a helpful diagnostic tool in differentiating between acute and chronic stages. Also, this review emphasizes that the use of recombinant or chimeric proteins is preferable to TLA in differentiating acute and chronic stages. It can be concluded that choosing more effective antigens (multi-epitope and multi-stage) and performing more detailed studies on the design of an avidity kit to differentiate the stage of infection is required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mostafa Tork
- Toxoplasmosis Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, Department of Parasitology, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran; School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
| | - Shahabeddin Sarvi
- Toxoplasmosis Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, Department of Parasitology, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran; Department of Parasitology and Mycology, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Science, Sari, Iran
| | - Hossein Asgarian-Omran
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran; Gastrointestinal Cancer Research Center, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
| | - Mitra Sadeghi
- Toxoplasmosis Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, Department of Parasitology, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran; School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
| | - Bahareh Basirpour
- Toxoplasmosis Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, Department of Parasitology, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran; School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
| | - Maryam Hatami Nejad
- Toxoplasmosis Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, Department of Parasitology, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran; School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
| | - Shirzad Gholami
- Toxoplasmosis Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, Department of Parasitology, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran; Department of Parasitology and Mycology, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Science, Sari, Iran
| | - Seyed Abdollah Hosseini
- Toxoplasmosis Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, Department of Parasitology, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran; Department of Parasitology and Mycology, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Science, Sari, Iran.
| | - Ahmad Daryani
- Toxoplasmosis Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, Department of Parasitology, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran; Department of Parasitology and Mycology, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Science, Sari, Iran; Laboratory of Molecular Parasitology, Scientific Center of Zoology and Hydroecology, NASRA, 7P. Sevak St, Yerevan, 0014, Armenia
| | - Sargis A Aghayan
- Laboratory of Molecular Parasitology, Scientific Center of Zoology and Hydroecology, NASRA, 7P. Sevak St, Yerevan, 0014, Armenia; Laboratory of Zology, Research Institute of Biology, Yerevan State University, 1 Alex Manoogian, Yerevan, 0025, Republic of Armenia
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Souza IMFNBD, Siqueira VDS, Ribeiro IDC, Moraes LSP, Prado DPGD, Rezende SR, Costa WLGD, Rezende HHA. Molecular and serological diagnosis of toxoplasmosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo 2023; 65:e19. [PMID: 36921207 PMCID: PMC10013468 DOI: 10.1590/s1678-9946202365019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasmosis is an infection of vast worldwide distribution whose etiologic agent is Toxoplasma gondii. This disease can cause problems ranging from mild symptoms to serious conditions, such as encephalitis, miscarriage and blindness. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to perform a diagnosis with reproducible techniques in order to obtain a good prognosis. The aim of this review was to analyze the efficiency of toxoplasmosis diagnostic techniques based on sensitivity and specificity results. Five research platforms in English language were used (Eric, Elsevier, Google Scholar, PubMed and SciELO), which contained data on the diagnosis of toxoplasmosis. The search and selection were performed for studies published prior to June 2021. The search resulted in the inclusion of 13 articles published from 2005 to 2020. The data revealed the use of different samples in the standardization of techniques such as serum, total blood, colostrum and amniotic fluid. The flow cytometry, lateral flow immunoassay and qPCR techniques showed 100% sensitivity, whereas the ELISA, western blotting, qPCR and RE-LAMP techniques achieved 100% specificity. Significantly, the qPCR and LAMP techniques were more accurate when the likelihood ratio was assessed. The meta-analysis identified that ISAGA and western blotting have low sensitivity values and LIASON, ELFA and ELISA, using a silica bioconjugate, also have low specificity values. It was noted that a wide range of methods have high values of sensitivity and specificity. Therefore, the choice of the method will be based on the conditions and its financial viability.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Victor da Silva Siqueira
- Universidade Federal de Jatai, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Aplicadas à Saúde, Jataí, Goiás, Brazil
| | | | | | | | | | - Webster Leonardo Guimarães da Costa
- Universidade Federal de Jatai, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Aplicadas à Saúde, Jataí, Goiás, Brazil.,Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética e Biologia Molecular (Imunologia), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
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Kodym P, Kurzová Z, Berenová D, Malý M. Detection of persistent low IgG avidity-an interpretative problem in the diagnosis of acute toxoplasmosis. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0284499. [PMID: 37053239 PMCID: PMC10101438 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0284499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 04/02/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES For the proper diagnosis of toxoplasmosis it is essential to determine the stage of the infection, for which the most preferred method is IgG avidity test. The avidity index (AI) should initially be low (AI≤0.3) in the acute phase and increase during the infection. However, persistent low avidity can occur in patients with latent toxoplasmosis, which can complicate the interpretation of the results. The aim of the study is to explain the causes of this phenomenon. METHODOLOGY A retrospective study was carried out with 717 serum samples collected from 442 patients from the categories of pregnant and non-pregnant women, men, and newborns + infants (age < 0.5 year). The trends of AI kinetics were evaluated in repeatedly examined patients. The frequency of cases with low avidity was compared in individual categories of patients and in groups of people with acute and non-acute toxoplasmosis. RESULTS The proportion of patients with initially low avidity was 42.1% in the acute toxoplasmosis group while it was 13.0% in the non-acute groups. In uninfected newborns with anti-Toxoplasma antibodies transmitted from the mother, a decrease in IgG avidity levels over time was observed, resulting in 29.2% of samples showing low (improper) avidity. While the dynamics of IgG avidity and the frequency of cases of improperly low avidity were similar in men and pregnant and non-pregnant women, the category of newborns and infants differed substantially for these indicators. CONCLUSIONS Due to acceptable specificity and negative predictive value, high avidity can rule out acute toxoplasmosis, but moderate sensitivity complicates the possibility of its confirmation. The results of the avidity test must be interpreted in the context of the results of other methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petr Kodym
- National Reference Laboratory for Toxoplasmosis, National Institute of Public Health, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Zuzana Kurzová
- National Reference Laboratory for Toxoplasmosis, National Institute of Public Health, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Dagmar Berenová
- National Reference Laboratory for Toxoplasmosis, National Institute of Public Health, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Marek Malý
- National Institute of Public Health, Unit of Biostatistics, Prague, Czech Republic
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Santana SS, Paiva VF, Carvalho FR, Barros HLS, Silva TL, Barros PSC, Pajuaba ACAM, Barros GB, Dietze R, Mineo TWP, Mineo JR. A peptide originated from Toxoplasma gondii microneme 8 displaying serological evidence to differentiate recent from chronic human infection. Parasitol Int 2021; 84:102394. [PMID: 34044107 DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2021.102394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2021] [Revised: 05/16/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Toxoplasmosis is able to cause death and/or sequelae in foetuses from pregnant women and immunocompromised individuals. The early diagnosis, able to differentiate acute from chronic phases, is essential to define the treatment against this disease and minimize the risk of complications. Here we describe a peptide derived from microneme 8 (pMIC8) protein of Toxoplasma gondii, able to distinguish the phase of infection. By using human and mice serum samples with different infection times, we assessed the ability of pMIC8 to interact with antibodies present in early of infection, and compared the results obtained with soluble antigen of T. gondii (STAg). The results showed that pMIC8 was recognized more precisely with antibodies present in serum samples from individuals with time of infection below 3 months, followed by those between 4 and 6 months of infection. Based on these results, it is possible to conclude that the association of immunoassays using STAg and pMIC8 as antigen preparations can be used to distinguish acute from chronic infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silas Silva Santana
- Laboratory of Immunoparasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia, 38400-902 Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Laboratory of Biology, Federal University of Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Campus Janaúba, Janaúba, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Vinícius Fernandes Paiva
- Laboratory of Immunoparasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia, 38400-902 Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Fernando Reis Carvalho
- Laboratory of Immunoparasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia, 38400-902 Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Goiás, Campus Itumbiara, Itumbiara, Goiás, 75524-010, Brazil
| | - Heber Leão Silva Barros
- Laboratory of Immunoparasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia, 38400-902 Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Tamires Lopes Silva
- Laboratory of Immunoparasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia, 38400-902 Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Patrício Silva Cardoso Barros
- Laboratory of Immunoparasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia, 38400-902 Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Ana Cláudia Arantes Marquez Pajuaba
- Laboratory of Immunoparasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia, 38400-902 Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Geisa Baptista Barros
- Infectious Disease Center, Federal University of Espirito Santo, 29040-091 Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil
| | - Reynaldo Dietze
- Infectious Disease Center, Federal University of Espirito Santo, 29040-091 Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil
| | - Tiago Wilson Patriarca Mineo
- Laboratory of Immunoparasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia, 38400-902 Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - José Roberto Mineo
- Laboratory of Immunoparasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia, 38400-902 Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
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C57BL/6 mice immunized with synthetic peptides from Toxoplasma gondii surface and microneme immunodominant antigens are able to decrease parasite burden in the brain tissues. Acta Trop 2019; 196:1-6. [PMID: 31059707 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2019.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2019] [Revised: 04/12/2019] [Accepted: 05/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii, an intracellular protozoan able to infect a wide range of hosts. The infection is particularly severe in immunocompromised patients or during pregnancy, circumstances in which the parasite could find a more favorable microenvironment to replicate and invade host tissues. The current treatment consists in toxic drugs for the patients, being not appropriate for the fetuses and immunodeficient patients. So far, there is a lack of available vaccine to prevent the disease. The present study aimed to evaluate the immune response induced by peptides derived from parasite immunodominant proteins from key components, as surface, rhoptry, microneme and dense granule antigens. A panel of eleven peptides was selected considering the highest scores for B cell epitope prediction by in silico analyses. The peptides were divided in groups, according to the parasite organelle locations, and used to immunize C57BL/6 mice. The animals were submitted to three doses of immunization and infected by 10 cysts of T. gondii ME49 strain. Blood samples were collected and used to measure the production of antibodies and cytokines, while the brains were collected to determine the parasite burden by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). It was found that synthetic peptides from all targets were able to induce IgG synthesis in immunized mice, as well as to modulate the Th1/Th2 cytokine production, particularly the MIC and SRS groups, which presented the IFN-γ/IL-10 and TNF-α/IL-10 ratios 30 and 10 times higher, respectively, when compared with non-immunized group. Interestingly, the animals from MIC and SRS groups had significantly lower levels of T. gondii DNA in their brains. In summary, it can be concluded that peptides mainly from SRS and MIC parasite components constitute relevant targets to design vaccine candidates against parasite burden observed during chronic toxoplasmosis.
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García VS, Peverengo L, Peretti LE, González VD, Gugliotta LM, Dalla Fontana ML, Marcipar IS, Lagier CM. An improved approach to estimate the avidity index of immunoglobulins: Evaluation of the method using IgG anti- Toxoplasma gondii. J Immunol Methods 2018; 457:78-81. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jim.2018.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2017] [Revised: 02/26/2018] [Accepted: 03/20/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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Knowledge and Practices of Toxoplasmosis among Clinical Laboratory Professionals: A Cross-Sectional Study in Durango, Mexico. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2017; 14:ijerph14111413. [PMID: 29156547 PMCID: PMC5708052 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph14111413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2017] [Revised: 11/15/2017] [Accepted: 11/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Background: The aim of this study was to determine the level of knowledge and practices about toxoplasmosis in a sample of clinical laboratory professionals in Mexico. Methods: 192 clinical laboratory professionals were surveyed. They were asked about (1) Toxoplasma gondii; (2) clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment, and epidemiology of toxoplasmosis; and (3) their practices with respect to toxoplasmosis. Results: The range of animals infected by T. gondii was known by 44.8% of participants. Clinical aspects of toxoplasmosis were known by up to 44.3% of subjects. Correct answers about the interpretation of serological markers of T. gondii infection were provided by up to 32.8% of participants. A minority (32.2%) of participants knew about a high number of false positive results of anti-T. gondii IgM antibody tests. Most participants (90.1%) did not know what the anti-T. gondii IgG avidity test was. Up to 55.7% of participants provided incorrect answers about the interpretation of serology tests for the treatment of pregnant women. Common routes of T. gondii infection were known by <15% of participants. Most (84.4%) participants had not performed tests for detection T. gondii infection. Conclusions: Results indicate incomplete knowledge of T. gondii infection and toxoplasmosis and a limited practice of laboratory tests among the professionals surveyed.
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