Rapid Detection of Toxoplasma gondii Antigen in Experimentally Infected Mice by Dot- ELISA

Background: toxoplasmosis is a worldwide endemic disease. in congenitally infected infants and aids patients, toxoplasmosis causes high rates of morbidity and mortality. in these cases antibody detection is difficult; so detection of parasite or its components could be useful tool for early detection and following treatment of the infection. methods: sixty-three balb/c mice were injected intra-peritoneal with 5×10^3 tachyzoites of toxoplasma gondii rh strain, nine mice were sacrificed daily for 7 days. fourteen mice were in- jected with phosphate buffer saline as control group. dot–elisa was performed for detection of t.gondii antigen in mice sera and capture – elisa was done as golden standard assay too. results : toxoplasma gondii antigen was detected from day 2 in mice sera ; 22% of mice sera on day 2, 33% on day 3,77% on day 4 and 100% on day 5 till their death on day 7 had shown antigenemia by dot – elisa, no positive result was detected in control mice by dot-elisa. conclusion: dot-elisa is a sensitive method for diagnosis of t. gondii infection in the animal model; also, this technique is more rapid and easy to perform method in comparison with cap- ture-elisa.