Molecular Detection of Toxoplasma gondii among Children Attending Selected Schools in Kaduna State, Nigeria

Abstract

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic infection of both humans and animals and has a worldwide distribution. A total of 300 blood samples were collected from school children in Kaduna state. The sera were screened for Toxoplasma gondii IgM and IgG antibodies by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). The seropositive samples were screened for T. gondii specific B1 gene. Out of the 300 blood samples screened for Toxoplasma IgM antibody, 108 (36.0%) were positive while 50 (16.67%) were seropositive for the Toxoplasma IgG antibody. So also 24 (8.0%) samples were seropositive for Toxoplasma IgG+IgM antibodies. B1 gene specific for T. gondii was detected by PCR in the ELISA positive samples. This confirms the presence of the parasite among the school children in Kaduna state.