Early Diagnosis of Ocular Toxoplasmosis Using Nested PCR Technique for Identification B1Gene from Blood Samples

The most common form of posterior uveitis is the one triggered by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii namely ocular toxoplasmosis (OT).The current conducted work was aimed at early identifying ocular toxoplasmosis employing the use of a nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR), for targeted T. gondii related B1 gene using two sets of primers, and a latex agglutination (LA) test as routine serological diagnosis for toxoplasmosis. This study consisted of collecting 62 blood samples from patients with a physician-recognized OT that visited Al-Diwaniyah General Teaching Hospital, Al-Diwaniyah City, Iraq, for eye-health related problems. The findings of the LA uncovered various incidence rates distributed over a classified range of ages, genders, and residential areas (urban vs rural); however, a 41 (66.13%) positive infection rate was revealed in general for all categories. Moreover, the firstrun-PCR outcomes demonstrated a 32 (51%) positive identification rate; however, the remaining negative samples were subjected the second-run nested PCR that showed 25 (83%) of positive detection rate of the B1 gene, which, in total, declares that 57 (91%) of the patients were OT-infected. The current study reveals successful use of blood samples for early detection of T. gondii caused uveitis devoting the utilization of the PCR method that targeted the B1 gene.