الفهرس 
AIM OF THE WORKOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Background: Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite belonging to the phylum Apicomplexa with a vast worldwide distribution. The parasite infects a wide range of warm blooded vertebrates which include humans, rodents and birds. The diagnosis of T. gondii infection can be achieved by serological, molecular, histological methods and by animal inoculation and culture techniques.
Aim: The aim of the study was to study the utility of capillary dried blood spots in screening toxoplasmosis comparable to conventional venipuncture samples among a spectrum of occupationally vulnerable personnel from Mansoura city and villages on its circumference and to associate the epidemiological data to serological results. Setting : Parasitology Department Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University. Results : Of 101 participants occupationally at-risk of infection with Toxoplasma gondii, 55 (54.5%) showed anti-Toxoplasma IgG positivity. On other hand of 33 control subjects, only 8 (24.2%) were serologically positive. Dried blood spots of 55 anti-Toxoplasma IgG-positive enrollee (as revealed by examination of their sera), were subjected to various timing and temperature circumstances. Concordant results were obtained with paired serum samples and dried blood spots preserved at 4°C for one month and at – 20°C for three months. Dried blood spots preserved at 4°C for one month and at – 20°C for three months exhibited excellent validation parameters including sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, diagnostic accuracy, ROC curve, Youden’s index and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Conclusion : Meat, poultry and exposure to oocyst-polluted dust environment proved as major risk factors for toxoplasmosis. The development of an-easy-to-use, acceptable, and accessible blood sampling technique that surpasses the shortcomings of the conventional venipuncture modality was high on the agenda of toxoplasmosis. In this context the dried blood spot was tried and validated.