Appraisal of prenatal anti-Toxoplasma gondii [IGG+IGM]-IHA/IGM-Elisa screening in single samples VIA IGG Avidity test

Congenital toxoplasmosis is associated with important morbidity and mortality. Since vertical transmission of Toxoplasma gondii can occur in acute cases, antenatal screening for recent infections is vital. Accurate determination of acute toxoplasmosis requires a combination of immunoassays, usually not routinely applied for screening purposes. This study evaluated the anti-T. gondii [IgG+IgM]/IgM prenatal screening procedure by IgG avidity assay

The routine prenatal screening for [IgG+IgM] anti-T. gondii by indirect hemagglutination [IHA] in serum samples was done of 2247 pregnant women who attended two hospitals between 2011 and 2013 revealed 487 [21.7%] positive samples. Examination of IHA-positive sera by IgM and IgG/IgG-avidity concurrent ELISA tests revealed 7 positive and 3 border-line IgM-ELISA titers during the initial check-up of 10 women, who were then followed up at 3-4 week-intervals. Among these, 4 [40%] showed simultaneous high avidity IgG antibodies, indicating distant infection by the parasite, and no anti-T. gondii specific IgG could be detected in follow-up sera of two cases [20%], indicating false IgM initial positive results. Only 4 [40%] women showed simultaneous IgM and low avidity IgG antibodies indicating active infections. Avoidance of an overdiagnosis of acute toxoplasmosis Anti-T. gondii [IgG+IgM]/IgM prenatal screening must be supplemented by a discriminative test like IgG avidity ELISA

Prevalence of intestinal parasites among patients of Al-Noor specialist hospital, Makkah, Saudi Arabia

To determine the prevalence of intestinal parasites among patients of a tertiary care hospital. A total of 12,054 samples received from the outpatient as well as inpatient departments from January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2009 in Al-Noor Specialist Hospital, Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Stool examinations were performed by direct method and concentrated Techniques for all patients. Overall, the prevalence of intestinal parasites was 6.2% [740 cases]. Majority of patients were infected by Entamoeba histolytica [4.7%] followed by Giardia lamblia [1.3%], while Ankylostoma duodenal [0.02%] exhibited the minimum prevalence. Parasitic infections were more frequent in non-Saudis than Saudis patients [7.1% vs. 5.8%; p<0.05]. There was no significant difference between males and females regarding parasitic infections, with a female:male ratio of 1:1.08. There was a higher prevalence in patients under five years of age [9.1%], followed by patients aged 5-14 years [7.5%]. The notable finding from this study is the high prevalence of E. histolytica. Overall, parasitic infections were more prevalent in patients under five years of age and in non-Saudi nationals