Abstract
Background Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is one of the most common intracellular protozoan parasites, which can infect humans and a wide range of mammals and birds. The current study is aimed at investigating the occurrence of T. gondii infection in women with a history of abortion in Khuzestan, Iran. Materials and Methods A total of 480 women with an abortion history, as well as 200 pregnant women with a normal delivery, were examined in this study. The blood, placenta, and umbilical cord blood samples were assessed by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and nested-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. Results Based on the results of ELISA assay, the prevalence of toxoplasmosis was 30.83% in women with a history of abortion (25.62% with T. gondii IgG and 5.20% with T. gondii IgM). According to the IgG avidity test, 60.16% of IgG-positive samples showed high avidity, while 27.64% showed low avidity. On the other hand, the prevalence of toxoplasmosis in women with a normal delivery was 23% (21.5% with T. gondii IgG and 1.5% with T. gondii IgM). According to the IgG avidity test, 81.39% of these women showed high avidity, while only 4.65% showed low avidity. Based on the nested-PCR method, T. gondii DNA was detected in 14.18% of blood samples, 4.69% of placental samples, and 1.34% of umbilical cord samples, collected from 148 seropositive women with a history of abortion. Besides, using this method, the parasite DNA was identified in 4.34% of blood samples, collected from 46 seropositive women with a normal delivery, but not in any of the umbilical cord or placenta samples. Conclusion The present results showed that T. gondii infection contributes to abortion in Khuzestan Province, Iran. Therefore, it is essential to investigate toxoplasmosis in pregnant women, especially in those who are seronegative, using molecular and serological methods and inform them about their disease and the associated risks.
Highlights
Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is one of the most common intracellular protozoan parasites, which can infect humans and a wide range of mammals and birds [1, 2]
Out of 480 blood samples collected from women with an abortion history by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method, 148 (30.83%) were positive, including 25 (5.20%) samples with IgM antibodies and 123 (25.62%) samples with IgG antibodies
According to the results of nested-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay in 148 seropositive women, T. gondii DNA was detected in 30 (20.27%) samples, which were collected from the group of women with an abortion history, including 21 (14.18%) blood samples, 7 (4.72%) placenta samples, and 2 (1.35%) umbilical cord samples
Summary
Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is one of the most common intracellular protozoan parasites, which can infect humans and a wide range of mammals and birds [1, 2]. Based on the results of ELISA assay, the prevalence of toxoplasmosis was 30.83% in women with a history of abortion (25.62% with T. gondii IgG and 5.20% with T. gondii IgM). Based on the nested-PCR method, T. gondii DNA was detected in 14.18% of blood samples, 4.69% of placental samples, and 1.34% of umbilical cord samples, collected from 148 seropositive women with a history of abortion. Using this method, the parasite DNA was identified in 4.34% of blood samples, collected from 46 seropositive women with a normal delivery, but not in any of the umbilical cord or placenta samples. It is essential to investigate toxoplasmosis in pregnant women, especially in those who are seronegative, using molecular and serological methods and inform them about their disease and the associated risks
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