Diagnosis of Toxoplasmosis and Typing of Toxoplasma Gondii

Overview

Journal Parasit Vectors

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialties Parasitology
Tropical Medicine

Date 2015 May 29

PMID 26017718

Citations 151

Authors

Quan Liu

Ze-Dong Wang

Si-Yang Huang

Xing-Quan Zhu

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Toxoplasmosis, caused by the obligate intracellular protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, is an important zoonosis with medical and veterinary importance worldwide. The disease is mainly contracted by ingesting undercooked or raw meat containing viable tissue cysts, or by ingesting food or water contaminated with oocysts. The diagnosis and genetic characterization of T. gondii infection is crucial for the surveillance, prevention and control of toxoplasmosis. Traditional approaches for the diagnosis of toxoplasmosis include etiological, immunological and imaging techniques. Diagnosis of toxoplasmosis has been improved by the emergence of molecular technologies to amplify parasite nucleic acids. Among these, polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based molecular techniques have been useful for the genetic characterization of T. gondii. Serotyping methods based on polymorphic polypeptides have the potential to become the choice for typing T. gondii in humans and animals. In this review, we summarize conventional non-DNA-based diagnostic methods, and the DNA-based molecular techniques for the diagnosis and genetic characterization of T. gondii. These techniques have provided foundations for further development of more effective and accurate detection of T. gondii infection. These advances will contribute to an improved understanding of the epidemiology, prevention and control of toxoplasmosis.

Citing Articles

Serological and molecular detection of Toxoplasma Gondii among cancer patients in Sohag, Upper Egypt: a case-control study.

Fadel E, Tolba M, Ahmed A, El-Hady H Sci Rep. 2025; 15(1):5236.

PMID: 39939648 PMC: 11822034. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-88680-3.

Diagnostic Approach to Pneumonia in Immunocompromised Hosts.

Ullah N, Fusco L, Ametrano L, Bartalucci C, Giacobbe D, Vena A J Clin Med. 2025; 14(2).

PMID: 39860395 PMC: 11765643. DOI: 10.3390/jcm14020389.

Comparative evaluation of funduscopy, PCR and serology in the diagnosis of ocular toxoplasmosis at ECWA Eye Hospital, Kano.

Adebakin B, Atima M, Idakwo U, Bala J, Abdullahi A, Muhammad A BMJ Open Ophthalmol. 2025; 10(1).

PMID: 39837789 PMC: 11784108. DOI: 10.1136/bmjophth-2024-002023.

Seroprevalence of anti-ToxoplasmaIgG among the human population in Indonesia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Perdana T, Dwiputro A, Kusuma S, Simanjuntak A, Wijayanto F BMC Public Health. 2025; 25(1):194.

PMID: 39825306 PMC: 11740355. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-025-21317-2.

EVALUATION OF GRA6 AS GENETIC MARKER FOR DETERMINING GENOTYPE IN THE CEREBROSPINAL FLUID OF HIV/AIDS PATIENTS WITH TOXOPLASMIC ENCEPHALITIS.

Nora H, Puspa S, Tunas A, Darma I, Agnes K Afr J Infect Dis. 2024; 19(1):29-35.

PMID: 39618543 PMC: 11607786. DOI: 10.21010/Ajidv19i1.4.

References

Burg J, Grover C, Pouletty P, Boothroyd J . Direct and sensitive detection of a pathogenic protozoan, Toxoplasma gondii, by polymerase chain reaction. J Clin Microbiol. 1989; 27(8):1787-92. PMC: 267672. DOI: 10.1128/jcm.27.8.1787-1792.1989. View

Dos Santos T, Nunes C, Luvizotto M, Moura A, Lopes W, da Costa A . Detection of Toxoplasma gondii oocysts in environmental samples from public schools. Vet Parasitol. 2010; 171(1-2):53-7. DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2010.02.045. View

Cuomo G, DAbrosca V, Rizzo V, Nardiello S, Montagna G, Gaeta G . Severe polymyositis due to Toxoplasma gondii in an adult immunocompetent patient: a case report and review of the literature. Infection. 2013; 41(4):859-62. DOI: 10.1007/s15010-013-0427-x. View

Lau Y, Meganathan P, Sonaimuthu P, Thiruvengadam G, Nissapatorn V, Chen Y . Specific, sensitive, and rapid diagnosis of active toxoplasmosis by a loop-mediated isothermal amplification method using blood samples from patients. J Clin Microbiol. 2010; 48(10):3698-702. PMC: 2953084. DOI: 10.1128/JCM.00462-10. View

Switaj K, Master A, Skrzypczak M, Zaborowski P . Recent trends in molecular diagnostics for Toxoplasma gondii infections. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2005; 11(3):170-6. DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-0691.2004.01073.x. View

Wang S, Yin T, Zeng S, Che H, Yang F, Chen X . A piezoelectric immunosensor using hybrid self-assembled monolayers for detection of Schistosoma japonicum. PLoS One. 2012; 7(1):e30779. PMC: 3383785. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0030779. View

Suzuki Y, Ramirez R, Press C, Li S, Parmley S, Thulliez P . Detection of immunoglobulin M antibodies to P35 antigen of Toxoplasma gondii for serodiagnosis of recently acquired infection in pregnant women. J Clin Microbiol. 2000; 38(11):3967-70. PMC: 87526. DOI: 10.1128/JCM.38.11.3967-3970.2000. View

Ajzenberg D, Collinet F, Mercier A, Vignoles P, Darde M . Genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii isolates with 15 microsatellite markers in a single multiplex PCR assay. J Clin Microbiol. 2010; 48(12):4641-5. PMC: 3008440. DOI: 10.1128/JCM.01152-10. View

Notomi T, Okayama H, Masubuchi H, Yonekawa T, Watanabe K, Amino N . Loop-mediated isothermal amplification of DNA. Nucleic Acids Res. 2000; 28(12):E63. PMC: 102748. DOI: 10.1093/nar/28.12.e63. View

10.

Chandramukhi A . Diagnosis of neurotoxoplasmosis by antibody detection in cerebrospinal (CSF) fluid using Latex Agglutination Test and ELISA. J Commun Dis. 2006; 36(3):153-8. View

11.

Vutova K, Peicheva Z, Popova A, Markova V, Mincheva N, Todorov T . Congenital toxoplasmosis: eye manifestations in infants and children. Ann Trop Paediatr. 2002; 22(3):213-8. DOI: 10.1179/027249302125001507. View

12.

Reiter-Owona I, Petersen E, Joynson D, Aspock H, Darde M, Disko R . The past and present role of the Sabin-Feldman dye test in the serodiagnosis of toxoplasmosis. Bull World Health Organ. 1999; 77(11):929-35. PMC: 2557752. View

13.

Zhou P, Zhang H, Lin R, Zhang D, Song H, Su C . Genetic characterization of Toxoplasma gondii isolates from China. Parasitol Int. 2009; 58(2):193-5. DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2009.01.006. View

14.

Reischl U, Bretagne S, Kruger D, Ernault P, Costa J . Comparison of two DNA targets for the diagnosis of Toxoplasmosis by real-time PCR using fluorescence resonance energy transfer hybridization probes. BMC Infect Dis. 2003; 3:7. PMC: 156600. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2334-3-7. View

15.

Mazumder P, Chuang H, Wentz M, Wiedbrauk D . Latex agglutination test for detection of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii. J Clin Microbiol. 1988; 26(11):2444-6. PMC: 266914. DOI: 10.1128/jcm.26.11.2444-2446.1988. View

16.

Ferreira A, Vitor R, Carneiro A, Brandao G, Melo M . Genetic variability of Brazilian Toxoplasma gondii strains detected by random amplified polymorphic DNA-polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR) and simple sequence repeat anchored-PCR (SSR-PCR). Infect Genet Evol. 2004; 4(2):131-42. DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2004.03.002. View

17.

Xiao J, Buka S, Cannon T, Suzuki Y, Viscidi R, Torrey E . Serological pattern consistent with infection with type I Toxoplasma gondii in mothers and risk of psychosis among adult offspring. Microbes Infect. 2009; 11(13):1011-8. DOI: 10.1016/j.micinf.2009.07.007. View

18.

Qu D, Zhou H, Han J, Tao S, Zheng B, Chi N . Development of reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) as a diagnostic tool of Toxoplasma gondii in pork. Vet Parasitol. 2012; 192(1-3):98-103. DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2012.10.010. View

19.

Jones C, Okhravi N, Adamson P, Tasker S, Lightman S . Comparison of PCR detection methods for B1, P30, and 18S rDNA genes of T. gondii in aqueous humor. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2000; 41(3):634-44. View

20.

Saadatnia G, Golkar M . A review on human toxoplasmosis. Scand J Infect Dis. 2012; 44(11):805-14. DOI: 10.3109/00365548.2012.693197. View