TY - JOUR ID - TI - Sero-prevalence of toxoplasmosis and Role of Cathepsin L-like and Cathepsin B-like Genes as Risk Factors for Abnormal Pregnancy Outcome AU - Noor. M. Harki1 AU - Hadi. M. A. Alsakee PY - 2019 VL - 30 IS - 4 SP - 43 EP - 50 JO - Al-Mustansiriyah Journal of Science مجلة علوم المستنصرية SN - 1814635X 25213520 AB - Background and objectives: Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is a ubiquitous apicomplexan parasite. As an obligate intracellular parasite, T. gondii must invade host cells to survive and replicate, five cathepsin proteases are encoded in the genome of T. gondii, cathepsin L like protein (TgCPL), cathepsin B like protein (TgCPB), and three cathepsin C like proteins (TgCPC 1, 2, and 3). The present study was aimed to investigate the prevalence of toxoplasmosis among women in Erbil, and to study the role of cathepsin B and cathepsin L genes in the pathogenesis of toxoplasmosis as well as their role as risk factors for abnormal pregnancy outcome. A total of 230 women at their reproductive age who attended Maternity Teaching Hospital and Nazdar Bamarni primary Health Center were enrolled in this study. Anti- toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibodies were detected by cobas 6000. Toxoplasma cathepsin B and cathepsin L – like genes were selected to be targets in PCR. Results: Anti-toxoplasma IgG and IgM were seropositive in 105 (45.7%) and 18 (7.8%) women, respectively, and only 15(6.5%) of them for both anti-toxoplasma IgG and IgM. No significant association of toxoplasmosis and educational level, socioeconomic level, age, history of abortion, and abnormal baby birth weight were observed. PCR targeting cathepsin L-gene was more sensitive to be used in the diagnosis of toxoplasmosis. Conclusion: Sero-prevalence of toxoplasmosis is relatively high in Erbil and cathepsin L gene is an efficient target for PCR and could be used as risk factor for abnormal pregnancy outcome.

ER -