{"title":"IgM Antibody Detection as a Diagnostic Marker for Acute Toxoplasmosis: Current Status of Studies and Main Limitations.","authors":"Karolina Sołowińska, Lucyna Holec-Gąsior","doi":"10.3390/antib14020044","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Accurate dating of <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> infection is essential for effective clinical management, particularly in pregnant women and immunocompromised individuals, where distinguishing acute from chronic infection informs treatment decisions. Serological detection of IgM antibodies is a key tool in diagnosing recent toxoplasmosis; however, its reliability is compromised by persistent IgM responses, cross-reactivity, and assay variability. While IgM lacks sufficient specificity to serve as a standalone marker of acute infection, it remains an important component of serological panels. This review summarizes current IgM detection methods and explores advancements aimed at improving diagnostic accuracy with a focus on recombinant antigens, which have emerged as promising alternatives to traditional <i>Toxoplasma</i> lysate antigen-based immunoassays. This paper also explores alternative methods of differentiating chronic and acute toxoplasmosis and outlines key areas for future research.</p>","PeriodicalId":8188,"journal":{"name":"Antibodies","volume":"14 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0000,"publicationDate":"2025-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12101336/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Antibodies","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3390/antib14020044","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"IMMUNOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Accurate dating of Toxoplasma gondii infection is essential for effective clinical management, particularly in pregnant women and immunocompromised individuals, where distinguishing acute from chronic infection informs treatment decisions. Serological detection of IgM antibodies is a key tool in diagnosing recent toxoplasmosis; however, its reliability is compromised by persistent IgM responses, cross-reactivity, and assay variability. While IgM lacks sufficient specificity to serve as a standalone marker of acute infection, it remains an important component of serological panels. This review summarizes current IgM detection methods and explores advancements aimed at improving diagnostic accuracy with a focus on recombinant antigens, which have emerged as promising alternatives to traditional Toxoplasma lysate antigen-based immunoassays. This paper also explores alternative methods of differentiating chronic and acute toxoplasmosis and outlines key areas for future research.
期刊介绍:
Antibodies (ISSN 2073-4468), an international, peer-reviewed open access journal which provides an advanced forum for studies related to antibodies and antigens. It publishes reviews, research articles, communications and short notes. Our aim is to encourage scientists to publish their experimental and theoretical results in as much detail as possible. There is no restriction on the length of the papers. Full experimental and/or methodical details must be provided. Electronic files or software regarding the full details of the calculation and experimental procedure - if unable to be published in a normal way - can be deposited as supplementary material. This journal covers all topics related to antibodies and antigens, topics of interest include (but are not limited to): antibody-producing cells (including B cells), antibody structure and function, antibody-antigen interactions, Fc receptors, antibody manufacturing antibody engineering, antibody therapy, immunoassays, antibody diagnosis, tissue antigens, exogenous antigens, endogenous antigens, autoantigens, monoclonal antibodies, natural antibodies, humoral immune responses, immunoregulatory molecules.