SEROLOGICAL DIAGNOSIS OF TOXOPLASMA GONDII INFECTION IN VARIOUS PATIENT POPULATION IN THE ARMED FORCES.

The study included 200 healthy age and sex matched controls (120 healthy volunteers and 80 healthy antenatal cases without any bad obstetric history) and 300 cases comprising patients with bad obstetric history (BOH) 80 cases, seizure or encephalitis 50 cases, cervical lymphadenopathy 30 cases, congenital deformity 30 cases, HIV infected 80 cases and patients on long term immunosuppression 30 cases. Anti-toxoplasma IgG & IgM were measured by ELISA and individuals found positive for anti Toxoplasma gondii IgM or with high titre of IgG were subjected to repeat testing after 3 weeks for rise in titre. True sero-prevalence of T gondii infection was found to be 19% and it increased with increasing age in the population. 2.33% patients were found to have acute toxoplasma infection. Statistical significance was seen only in patients with BOH and children born with congenital abnormality.