title: Evaluation of immunoblotting for the detection of Toxoplasma gondii immunoglobulin M antibodies.
abstract: Immunoblot analysis was used to detect human IgM antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in 20 patients with recent toxoplasmosis, 30 immune individuals, 30 non-immune individuals, and 24 children less then two years old. Analysis of the IgM strips revealed that specific IgM antibodies detectable after a recent Toxoplasma gondii infection react with the same antigens as the 'natural' antibodies present in the sera of immune and non-immune individuals and in the sera of young children. These data indicate that immunoblotting is not useful as a reference method for Toxoplasma gondii IgM detection, and suggest that improvement of the specificity of IgM detection will remain difficult.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology, University Hospital, Gent, Belgium.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Verhofstede
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Van Renterghem
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Plum
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000032:analysis*; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D007075:Immunoglobulin M