URINE SAMPLE USED FOR CONGENITAL TOXOPLASMOSIS DIAGNOSIS BY PCR

The diagnosis of toxoplasmosis in congenitally infected infants can be difficult; serology is unreliable, and diagnosis must be based on the combination of symptomatology and direct demonstration of the parasit e. Four infants suspected of having Toxoplasma gondii infection were s tudied by serological analysis, tissue culture, and PCR determination. T. gondii was isolated from the urine of one patient. The parasite wa s detected by PCR in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid of three infant s and in the urine in all patients. Because nested PCR proved to be a sensitive, relatively rapid, and specific method and because it can be applied to a variety of different clinical samples, PCR can be a valu able technique for the identification of T. gondii infections in child ren. The present study indicates that PCR examination of urine, a flui d never before used for diagnosis in this age group, may be valuable i n diagnosing cases of congenital toxoplasmosis.