Avidity of specific IgG antibodies as markers of recent primary infection caused by Toxoplasma gondii

For serologically characterizing a recent primary toxoplasma infection, the low avidity of IgG specific antibodies was studied. Avidity was evaluated as the decrease of IgG antibody titers in ELISA after treating plates with 6 M urea, as a dissociating solution of low avidity antigen-antibody complexes. Sixty nine serum samples were studied, presenting characteristic patterns of recent, transitional or chronic toxoplasmosis. Serological patterns were determined according to results of IgG and IgM immunofluorescence, IgM-capture, and hemagglutination tests. Twenty three serum samples from each of the referred patterns I, II and III were titrated. For chronic toxoplasmosis infections, which presented a serological pattern III, observed decrease of titers was 3% +/- 3%. For pattern I recent toxoplasmosis sera it was 34% +/- 12%, and for transition pattern II, 12% +/- 9%. Thus, a low avidity of IgG specific antibodies can be applicable for the diagnosis of a recent toxoplasmosis infection.