TOXOPLASMA-GONDII - DETECTION OF ANTIBODIES IN HUMAN SALIVA AND SERUM

Saliva samples from 27 patients with a recent toxoplasma infection wer e tested for specific IgG, IgM and IgA antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii . Thirteen of the 27 saliva samples were positive for IgG anti-T. gond ii by direct agglutination and 8 of the 27 were positive for IgM anti- T. gondii by an immunosorbent agglutination assay. Twenty of the 27 sa liva samples were positive for IgG antibody on toxoplasma immunoblots with thr ee major immunodominant antigens, 38, 30 and 35 kDa. IgA resu lts on toxoplasma immunoblots were positive for all three groups teste d, recently infected patients, chronically infected and seronegative a dults without distinguishing between them. The 35 and 43 kDa antigens were the most frequently detected proteins. IgM in saliva gave negativ e or very weak reactions. None of the eight seronegative or the 17 chr onically infected adults gave positive results in any of the tests per formed to detect IgG or IgM in saliva. Serial saliva and serum samples from a laboratory-infected patient were collected and tested for toxo plasma-specific IgG, IgM and IgA. IgG in saliva was detected by 27 cla ys post infection (p.i.) and was negative by 81 days p.i.; it detected mainly the 38 and 30 kDa antigens. IgM in saliva was detected by II d ays p.i. and was negative by 81 clays p.i., with no reaction on immuno blots.