COMPARISON OF INDIRECT IMMUNOFLUORESCENT ANTIBODY TEST AND SABIN-FELDMAN DYE TEST FOR DETECTION OF TOXOPLASMA GONDII ANTIBODY IN THAI PREGNANT WOMEN

The aim of this study is to determine the specific IgG antibody for Toxoplasma gondii in pregnant Thai women by IFAT, using formalin-fixed whole tachyzoites and comparing the sensitivity and specificity with those of the Sabin-Feldman dye test (SFDT). Blood samples were collected from 189 pregnant Thai women, who came for their first visit at the antenatal clinic of Rajavithi Hospital from March to May 2003. The result of antibody measurement from the indirect fluorescent test showed 66.6% sensitivity and 95.9% specificity, when compared with Sabin-Feldman dye test. IFAT is not time-consuming, easy to perform, and formalin-fixed whole antigens can be kept for a long time. IFAT, therefore, is recommended as a selective test, which can be used in laboratories that cannot perform SFDT.