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Evaluation of RE and B1 Genes as Targets for Detection of Toxoplasma gondii by Nested PCR in Blood Samples of Patients with Ocular Toxoplasmosis

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Abstract

Introduction

To evaluate B1 and RE genes as targets to detect Toxoplasma gondii, nested PCR is used in blood samples of patients with ocular toxoplasmosis.

Materials and Methods

Following the measurement of IgG and IgM antibodies using indirect ELISA, IgG avidity and assessment of blood samples by nested PCR, the agreement between various test results was studied.

Results

From 117 patients, 77 (65.81%) were found to be positive for IgG anti-Toxoplasma antibody, 12 cases were positive for both IgG and IgM, and 1 patient was positive for IgM only. The detection limit for the RE-nested PCR assay was one T. gondii tachyzoite, whereas the limit for B1-nested PCR was five tachyzoites. Nested PCR results showed higher agreement with IgM test results than IgG test results.

Conclusion

The results of this study showed that nested PCR of peripheral blood is a useful and non-invasive method for detection of T. gondii in patients with OT, especially in case of recently acquired infections, and RE targeted assay is more sensitive than B1 targeted assay for this purpose.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express their gratitude to all lab staff of Cellular and Molecular Biology Research Center of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences for their contribution in the study and toxoplasmosis laboratory in Tehran University of Medical Sciences for preparation of the T. gondii (RH strain) tachyzoites.

Funding

This project is supported by Tehran University of Medical Science (Grant No: 29998-160-03-94).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Bahman Rahimi Esboei, Mehdi Mohebali, Hossein Keshavarz Valian, Saeedeh Shojaee & Parisa Mousavi

  2. Cellular and Molecular Biology Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Bahram Kazemi & Fatemeh Zahedipour

  3. Eye Research Center, Farabi Eye Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Mohammad Zarei, Raziyeh Mahmoudzadeh & Mirataollah Salabati

  4. Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran

    Shirzad Fallahi

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  1. Bahman Rahimi Esboei
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  2. Bahram Kazemi
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  3. Mohammad Zarei
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  4. Mehdi Mohebali
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  5. Hossein Keshavarz Valian
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Correspondence to Hossein Keshavarz Valian.

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Rahimi Esboei, B., Kazemi, B., Zarei, M. et al. Evaluation of RE and B1 Genes as Targets for Detection of Toxoplasma gondii by Nested PCR in Blood Samples of Patients with Ocular Toxoplasmosis. Acta Parasit. 64, 384–389 (2019). https://doi.org/10.2478/s11686-019-00056-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/s11686-019-00056-6

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