Performances of ICT Toxoplasma IgG-IgM test in comparison with Vidas® toxo competition to determine the immune status against Toxoplasma gondii

Toxoplasmosis is a ubiquitous parasitic infection caused by Toxoplasma gondii (Tg). In immunocompetent people, the infection may be asymptomatic with the induction of an immune response that may prevent reinfection or transmission to the fetus in immune pregnant woman. In immunocompromised persons or seronegative pregnant woman with a primary infection during pregnancy, the infection may result in the loss of life, sight, cognition, and motor function in the immune-compromised person or immunologically immature fetus. The objective of this study was to evaluate a new immunochromatographic test Toxoplasma ICT IgG-IgM (ICT) that allows detection of specific anti-Tg immunoglobulins G (Ig G) and M (Ig M). We included 1145 prospectively obtained sera and 376 samples selected for specificity or sensitivity studies. The performance of ICT was compared using Vidas (R) Toxo Competition (TXC) and Toxoscreen (R). In case of discrepancy, Vidas (R) Toxo Ig G or Ig M and LDBIO Toxo II IgG western blot were used to establish definitive results by additional methods. Sensitivity and specificity of ICT were respectively 99.3% and 100%. In comparison, Toxoscreen (R) 's sensitivity was 100% and the specificity was 99.8%. TXC had a sensitivity of 98.7% with a specificity of 99.1%. ICT has excellent performance even for low Ig G titers, especially in immunocompromised patients, and confirms the specificity of isolated Ig M. This ICT provides reliable results easily and quickly. This screening technique is not designed to differentiate the Ig M from Ig G. When positive, additional tests may be necessary.