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Toxoplasmosis is a cosmopolitan zoonotic infection that has significant effects on public health and causes economic losses in the livestock industry. The current study was designed to detect the Toxoplasma parasite in sheep blood samples and tissue samples of slaughtered sheep at the Sulaimani abattoir using molecular techniques. A total of 300 peripheral sheep blood samples were randomly collected from 20 small ruminant flocks at 4 locations in the Sulaymaniyah province, northern Iraq. Also, 150 meat samples from thigh muscle, heart, and diaphragm were collected from slaughtered sheep. All collected blood samples were subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification to confirm Toxoplasma infection; in addition, meat samples were also analyzed for Toxoplasma by PCR following the digestion process. Of the 300 amplified blood samples, 94 were considered positive for Toxoplasma gondii, with a prevalence rate of 31.3%. The overall prevalence of Toxoplasma among meat samples was 34%. The diaphragm reported a higher infection rate (46%) than the heart (32%), while the femoral muscle reported an infection rate of 24%. Aged animals (older than 24 months) presented a higher infection rate (32.8%) than younger animals (28.9%). Contact with or consumption of uncooked meat from infected sheep increases the chance of parasite transmission to humans.

Copyright of Summa, Animali da Compagnia is the property of Point Veterinaire Italie s.r.l. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Summa, Animali da Compagnia is the property of Point Veterinaire Italie s.r.l. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Laboratory diagnosis of toxoplasmosis is mainly based on serological methods, particularly important in the most challenging situations, as the diagnosis of primary infection during pregnancy and diagnosis of congenital infection. Tests for the detection of IgA antibodies are especially important in the newborns, because they are more sensitive than IgM conventional methods. The purpose of this study was to evaluate diagnostic performances of Enzygnost system for IgA detection, achieved by using Enzygnost Anti-human IgA/POD conjugate in combination with Enzygnost toxoplasmosis IgG (Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Products GmbH, Marburg, Germany). A retrospective study was performed with 591 serum samples submitted to the Microbiology Laboratory of S. Orsola Hospital in Bologna for toxoplasmosis screening.All the sera were tested by Enzygnost toxoplasmosis IgG, Enzygnost toxoplasmosis IgM and Enzygnost system for IgA (Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics). Border-Line or positive IgM results were confirmed by Vidas Toxo IgM (bioMerieux, Marcy l’Etoile, France). Finally, IgG Avidity was performed by Vidas Toxo IgG Avidity (bioMerieux) and LDBio Toxoplasma WB IgG/IgM (LDBio Diagnostics, Lyon, France). During the study period, 453 sera were IgA negative, 53 were Border-Line and 85 were positive when tested by Enzygnost system for IgA. No significative correlation was found between IgA positive results and low Avidity results.Three babies were correctly diagnosed as congenital toxoplasmosis infected infants because of the presence of IgA antibodies at birth. Enzygnost system for IgA anti-Toxoplasma showed good diagnostic performances.We conclude that the high sensitivity and specificity of and its suitability for automation make it an ideal screening test.

Copyright of Acta Reumatológica Portuguesa is the property of Sociedade Portuguesa de Reumatologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)