Sequencing of TNFα and IFNϒ genes associated with Toxoplasma gondii infection among Erbil residents-Iraq.

Toxoplasmosis is a serious disease that affects all age groups and may even threaten the lives of some people. Fifty serum samples were taken from patients has Toxoplasmosis who attended Rizgary Teaching Hospital in Erbil City, and 38 serum samples were taken from healthy individuals as a control group, with ages between 18-60 years old, from the period January 2024 to March 2025. The purpose of the research is to determine the gene sequence of TNFα and IFNϒ associated with Toxoplasmosis. The results showed that the infection prevalence rate in the age group (18-27) years was 17 (56.7%) in comparison to healthy individuals 13 (43.3%), and in the age group (28-37) years was 20 (62.5%) compared to healthy control 12 (37.5%), and in the age group (38-47) years was 10 (76.9%) in comparison to the controls 3 (23.1%), while in the age group (≥47) years was 3 (23.1%) compared to the controls 10 (76.9%) with significant variations (P=0.03). The prevalence rate of Toxoplasmosis in males was 17 (48.6%) in comparison to the healthy controls 18 (51.4%), while in females it was 33 (62.3%) compared to the healthy individuals 18 (51.4%), with no significant variations (P=0.29). The mean level of Toxoplasmosis IgM was (2.28±0.18) when compared to healthy group (0.12±0.03), and the mean level of Toxoplasmosis IgG was (2.12±0.18) when compared to healthy control (0.09±0.02). The mean level of TNF-α (pg/ml) was (10.34±0.39) in comparison to the control group (4.89±0.31), and the mean level of INF-γ (pg/ml) was (10.72±0.36) in comparison to the controls (4.80±0.29) with highly significant variations (P=0.001).  Moreover, direct correlation between Toxoplasma IgM with IgG was (r=.568), with TNF-α was (r=.607), with INF-γ was (r=.528), with highly significant variations P= (.000, .000, .000) respectively. Also, there were direct correlations between Toxoplasma IgG with IgM (r=1), with TNF-α (r=.550), with INF-γ (r=.576), with highly significant variations P= (.000, .000, .000) respectively. The TNFα gene sequence ID 7132 of rs767455 in the position AA was changed to AG and GG, respectively, in samples 1-10 in comparison to the control group. Also, the INFϒ gene sequence ID 3458 of rs2430561 in the position TT was changed to TA and AA, respectively, in samples 1-10 in comparison to the control group.