Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Comparison of indirect fluorescent antibody test and modified agglutination test for detecting Toxoplasma gondii immunoglobulin G antibodies in dog and cat

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Parasitology Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The present study describes the comparison between a modified agglutination test (MAT) and the indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) for the detection of Toxoplasma specific IgG antibodies in dog and cat sera. MAT showed an “almost perfect” agreement with IFAT in detecting positive and negative results in cat sera, where as only a “substantial” agreement was observed in dog sera due to false negative results. Differences relative to sample dilution were recorded and serological titres obtained by MAT and IFAT are not directly comparable in cat and dog sera.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Afonso E, Thulliez P, Gilot-Fromont E (2006) Transmission of Toxoplasma gondii in an urban population of domestic cats (Felis catus). Int J Parasitol 36:1373–1382

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Claus GE, Christie E, Dubey JP (1977) Prevalence of Toxoplasma antibody in feline sera. J Parasitol 63:266

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Desmonts G, Remington JS (1980) Direct agglutination test for diagnosis of Toxoplasma infection: method for increasing sensitivity and specificity. J Clin Microbiol 11:562–568

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dubey JP (1997) Validation of the specificity of the modified agglutination test for toxoplasmosis in pigs. Vet Parasitol 71:307–310

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dubey JP (2004) Toxoplasmosis—a waterborne zoonosis. Vet Parasitol 126:57–72

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dubey JP, Navarro IT, Sreekumar C, Dahl E, Freire RL, Kawabata HH, Vianna MC, Kwok OC, Shen SK, Thulliez P, Lehmann T (2004) Toxoplasma gondii infections in cats from Parana, Brazil: seroprevalence, tissue distribution, and biologic and genetic characterization of isolates. J Parasitol 90:721–726

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dubey JP, Su C, Cortes JA, Sundar N, Gomez-Marin JE, Polo LJ, Zambrano L, Mora LE, Lora F, Jimenez J, Kwok OC, Shen SK, Zhang X, Nieto A, Thulliez P (2006) Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in cats from Colombia South America and genetic characterization of T. gondii isolates. Vet Parasitol 141:42–47

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dubey JP, Cortes-Vecino JA, Vargas-Duarte JJ, Sundar N, Velmurugan GV, Bandini LM, Polo LJ, Zambrano L, Mora LE, Kwok OC, Smith T, Su C (2007a) Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in dogs from Colombia South America and genetic characterization of T. gondii isolates. Vet Parasitol 145:45–50

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dubey JP, Rajapakse RP, Wijesundera RR, Sundar N, Velmurugan GV, Kwok OC, Su C (2007b) Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in dogs from Sri Lanka and genetic characterization of the parasite isolates. Vet Parasitol 146:341–346

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dumetre A, Darde ML (2003) How to detect Toxoplasma gondii oocysts in environmental samples? FEMS Microbiol Rev 27:651–661

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fleiss JL, Levin B, Cho Paik M (2003). Statistical methods for rates and proportions. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

  • Franco EL, Sulzer AJ, Higby RW, Peralta JM (1980) Immunoglobulin G and immunoglobulin M polar staining of Toxoplasma gondii in the indirect immunofluorescence test. J Clin Microbiol 12:780–784

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Garcia JL, Navarro IT, Vidotto O, Gennari SM, Machado RZ, da Luz Pereira AB, Sinhorini IL (2006) Toxoplasma gondii: comparison of a rhoptry-ELISA with IFAT and MAT for antibody detection in sera of experimentally infected pigs. Exp Parasitol 113:100–105

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hill D, Dubey JP (2002) Toxoplasma gondii: transmission, diagnosis and prevention. Clin Microbiol Infect 8:634–640

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Holton LL, Scott EM, Nolan AM, Reid J, Welsh E, Flaherty D (1998) Comparison of three methods used for assessment of pain in dogs. J Am Vet Med Assoc 212:61–66

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jacobs D, Dubremetz JF, Loyens A, Bosman F, Saman E (1998) Identification and heterologous expression of a new dense granule protein (GRA7) from Toxoplasma gondii. Mol Biochem Parasitol 91:237–249

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson J, Duffy K, New L, Holliman RE, Chessum BS, Fleck DG (1989) Direct agglutination test and other assays for measuring antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii. J Clin Pathol 42:536–541

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lindsay DS, Dubey JP, Butler JM, Blagburn BL (1997) Mechanical transmission of Toxoplasma gondii oocysts by dogs. Vet Parasitol 73:27–33

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Marca MC, Ramos JJ, Loste A, Saez T, Sanz MC (1996) Comparison of indirect immunofluorescent antibody test and modified direct agglutination test methods for detection of Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in adult sheep in Spain. Vet Parasitol 67:99–103

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mineo TW, Silva DA, Costa GH, von Ancken AC, Kasper LH, Souza MA, Cabral DD, Costa AJ, Mineo JR (2001) Detection of IgG antibodies to Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii in dogs examined in a veterinary hospital from Brazil. Vet Parasitol 98:239–245

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Montoya JG (2002) Laboratory diagnosis of Toxoplasma gondii infection and toxoplasmosis. J Infect Dis 185(Suppl 1):S73–S82

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Montoya JG, Liesenfeld O (2004) Toxoplasmosis. Lancet 363:1965–1976

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pena HF, Soares RM, Amaku M, Dubey JP, Gennari SM (2006) Toxoplasma gondii infection in cats from Sao Paulo state, Brazil: seroprevalence, oocyst shedding, isolation in mice, and biologic and molecular characterization. Res Vet Sci 81:58–67

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Piergili Fioretti D (2004) Problems and limitations of conventional and innovative methods for the diagnosis of Toxoplasmosis in humans and animals. Parassitologia 46:177–181

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rorman E, Zamir CS, Rilkis I, Ben-David H (2006) Congenital toxoplasmosis—prenatal aspects of Toxoplasma gondii infection. Reprod Toxicol 21:458–472

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sedlak K, Bartova E (2006) Seroprevalences of antibodies to Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii in zoo animals. Vet Parasitol 136:223–231

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Silva DA, Cabral DD, Bernardina BL, Souza MA, Mineo JR (1997) Detection of Toxoplasma gondii-specific antibodies in dogs. A comparative study of immunoenzymatic, immunofluorescent and haemagglutination titers. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 92:785–789

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Silva DA, Silva NM, Mineo TW, Pajuaba Neto AA, Ferro EA, Mineo JR (2002) Heterologous antibodies to evaluate the kinetics of the humoral immune response in dogs experimentally infected with Toxoplasma gondii RH strain. Vet Parasitol 107:181–195

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sobrino R, Cabezon O, Millan J, Pabon M, Arnal MC, Luco DF, Gortazar C, Dubey JP, Almeria S (2007) Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in wild carnivores from Spain. Vet Parasitol 148:187–192

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Svobodova V, Knotek Z, Svoboda M (1998) Prevalence of IgG and IgM antibodies specific to Toxoplasma gondii in cats. Vet Parasitol 80:173–176

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tenter AM, Heckeroth AR, Weiss LM (2000) Toxoplasma gondii: from animals to humans. Int J Parasitol 30:1217–1258

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gladia Macrì.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Macrì, G., Sala, M., Linder, A.M. et al. Comparison of indirect fluorescent antibody test and modified agglutination test for detecting Toxoplasma gondii immunoglobulin G antibodies in dog and cat. Parasitol Res 105, 35–40 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-009-1358-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-009-1358-4

Keywords

Navigation