The evaluation of interleukin-8 chemokine in chronic and acute Toxoplasma gondii infection

AIM We investigated whether the level of IL8 was different in patients with chronic and acute Toxoplasma gondii infection during the pregnancy compared with control group. BACKGROUND It is well established that T.gondii infection induces a strong cell-mediated immune response. PATIENTS AND METHODS ELISA was used to determine the level of IL8 in sera of 568 pregnant women. Patients were divided into three groups according to a T.gondii serology. The first group included 202 women with positive IgG titres, the second group was 66 women with IgM and negative IgG T.gondii serology; and the third group comprised the sera of 300 healthy pregnant women with negative T.gondii serology and served as controls. RESULTS The level of IL8 in group I was within normal range similar to control group. However, the level of IL8 was increased in those pregnant patients with positive IgM T.gondii serology. CONCLUSION The serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL8 seem to be increased in patients with serological evidence of acute T.gondii infection.