Serological Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in Faculty of Medicine of Bursa Uludag University During 2016-2018

Objective: This study aimed to retrospectively investigate Toxoplasma gondii IgG and IgM distribution and IgG avidity in serum samples with suspected toxoplasmosis in the medical microbiology serology laboratory of Faculty of Medicine Hospital at Bursa Uludag University over a 24-month period (January 2016 to December 2018). Methods: An enzyme-linked fluorescent assay using the VIDAS automated analyzer (BioMérieux, France) was used to determine T. gondii IgM antibodies, T. gondii IgG antibodies, and T. gondii IgG avidity. Results: The T. gondii IgM antibody positivity was found to be 1.7% (101/6104), whereas the T. gondii IgG antibody positivity was 37.9% (1.149/3024). The seropositivity of T. gondii IgG was 31.5% in women belonging to the childbearing age group. In this group, T. gondii IgG high and low avidity rates were 70.1% (134/191) and 15.2% (29/191), respectively. Conclusion: Screening and diagnosis of toxoplasma serology in women of childbearing age is important. The results of this study may be useful for designing optimal control and preventive measures against T. gondii infection.

Laboratory Results of Cystic Echinococcosis in 2017 and 2018

Objective: This study aimed to retrospectively examine the indirect haemagglutination (IHA) test results of patients suspected of cystic echinococcosis (CE) and admitted to Bursa Uludag University Health Practice and Research Center Hospital. Methods: Serum samples in the serology laboratory of our hospital were evaluated using the commercial Cellognost® echinococcosis IHA (Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics, Marburg, Germany) test based on the manufacturer's recommendations. In the IHA test, ≥1:64 serum titres were accepted as positive. Results: Seropositivity was determined in 213 (19.9%) of 1.072 patients suspected of having CE by the IHA method. Of the patients with seropositivity, 120 (56.3%) were female and 93 (43.7%) were male. The highest positivity rate in both sexes was found in patients aged 20-29 years (22.5% in women; 14.1% in men). Conclusion: The results indicate that CE maintains its importance as a public health problem in Bursa as in Turkey.