RESUMEN
Abstract. Toxoplasmosis is an infectious disease caused by the coccidian parasite Toxoplasma gondii. Diagnosis is based on serological methods with detection of specific IgG and IgM antibodies. The present study was performed to compare the sensitivity and specificity of soluble antigen of T. gondii, RH strain obtained from mice and cell culture in ELISA method. Tachyzoites of T. gondii, RH strain that inoculated in mice peritoneum were collected. At the same time, tachyzoites were harvested from HeLa cell culture that infected with the parasite. Soluble antigen was prepared and ELISA method performed on 100 serum samples that were collected from different laboratories in Tehran, Iran. Commercial Trinity kit was used as gold standard. The sensitivity and specificity of T.gondii soluble antigen were higher in antigens that obtained from cell culture in comparison with mice peritoneum. T. gondii cell culture derived antigen has high sensitivity and specificity in ELISA test.
RESUMEN
Immune response in BALB/c mice immunized 3 times with different doses (50 mug or 200 mug of protein) of Alum precipitated autoclaved Leishmania major (Alum-ALM) mixed with either BCG (1 x10(7); CFU) or different doses of killed Mycobacterium vaccae (1 x10(6), 1 x10(7)) was assessed. Mice immunized with low dose of Alum-ALM mixed with either BCG or low M. vaccae showed a significantly higher IFN-gamma production and a lower IL-4 level and a significantly lower parasite burden compared to the control PBS injected group. It seems that immunization with a low dose of Alum-ALM mixed with an adjuvant induces a Th1 type of immune response in susceptible BALB/c mice.