Ocular toxoplasmosis: evaluation of lacrimal - specific secretory IgA levels in both patients with active and inactive phases of the disease

Ocular toxoplasmosis can result in recurrent uveitis. Studies have shown that a correlation between active ocular toxoplasmosis and the presence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii secretory IgA (SIgA) in tears. This study compares anti-T. gondii SIgA levels in patients' tears during the acute and inacti...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Luiz Felipe Lynch, Maria Isabel Lynch, Rodrigo Santana do Nascimento Ferreira, Mirelle Souza Leão Vasconcelos, Narjara Melo, Silvana Ferreira, Elizabeth Malagueño
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ) 2011-08-01
Series:Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz
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Online Access:http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0074-02762011000500017&lng=en&tlng=en
Description
Summary:Ocular toxoplasmosis can result in recurrent uveitis. Studies have shown that a correlation between active ocular toxoplasmosis and the presence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii secretory IgA (SIgA) in tears. This study compares anti-T. gondii SIgA levels in patients' tears during the acute and inactive phases of toxoplasmic uveitis. Twenty-nine positive tear specific SIgA for T. gondii patients with acute toxoplasmic uveitis were selected and were followed-up for at least two years, when the anti-T. gondii SIgA tears levels were determined. Specific SIgA for T. gondii was negative in 22 patients (75.86%) and positive in seven patients (24.13%) of whom six (85.7%) were followed over three years. Average SIgA levels during the acute phase are 1.54 and decrease significantly to 0.72 (p = 0.0001) during the inactive phase of disease. Because anti-T. gondii SIgA in the tear is negative in 75.86% of patients after the acute phase of infection, T. gondii SIgA levels may be used as a complementary diagnostic marker for active ocular toxoplasmosis.
ISSN:1678-8060