[Diagnosis of toxoplasmosis: perfecting indirect immunofluorescence technique and assessing two techniques of agglutination on latex and indirect hemoagglutination]

Toxoplasmosis is an often seen parasitic disease. While mainly benign it can seriously afflict immunodepressed individuals such as fetuses and newborns. Monitoring pregnant women for toxoplasmosis infection facilitates the detection of toxoplasmoses which could endanger the fetus. The identification of such infection necessitates subsequent treatment through child delivery. Several serological approaches are employed. The authors evaluated the indirect immunofluorescence technique (IFI) agglutination on latex and indirect hemoagglutination (HAI) to determine which technique is best for diagnosing toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasmosis is defined as well as how it is spread the responsible parasite clinical aspects biological and antenatal diagnoses prophylaxis and treatment. 30 serum samples were tested using HAI and agglutination on latex the diagnostic approaches used by the Parasitology-Mycology Laboratory at Mohammed V Hospital. In 26 cases diagnostic concordance was reached between the two approaches for a rate of 86.7%. The 13.3% discordance rate may be partly due to the approaches specific limits or properties. Operational problems were encountered exploring the IFI diagnostic approach.