Media University of Babylon | A PhD Dissertation at the College of Medicine, University of Babylon on Patients with Toxoplasmosis

Media University of Babylon - Faculty of Medicine

A PhD Dissertation at the College of Medicine, University of Babylon on Patients with Toxoplasmosis

By : Zaynab Kadhim Ameen Awadh

Date : 24/8/2025 32:28:09 AM

A PhD Dissertation at the College of Medicine, University of Babylon on Patients with Toxoplasmosis
The Department of Microbiology at the College of Medicine discussed the doctoral dissertation of student Sulaf Abdul-Azeem Imran, entitled:
“Evaluation of Some Immunological Markers in Patients with Autoimmune Diseases Infected with Toxoplasmosis in Babylon Province”
Supervised by Prof. Dr. Hiyam Khalis Al-Masoudi and Prof. Dr. Ban Amer Mousa.
The defense session was attended by the Associate Dean for Scientific Affairs, Asst. Prof. Dr. Ashraf Mohammed Ali Hussein, along with several faculty members, academics, and postgraduate students.
During her defense, the researcher explained that toxoplasmosis is one of the most common parasitic infections, affecting nearly one-third of the world’s population. This disease can lead to serious and even fatal complications in immunocompromised individuals and pregnant women.
The aim of this study was to compare certain immunological markers, including interferon-gamma (IFN-?), interleukin-12 (IL-12), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-?1) among women infected with Toxoplasma gondii, women with T. gondii infection and autoimmune diseases, and a group of healthy individuals.
The results showed that women infected with T. gondii and autoimmune diseases exhibited significantly higher levels of IFN-?, IL-12, and MCP-1 compared to women infected with T. gondii alone and the control group. Similarly, women infected with T. gondii only also showed higher levels of these cytokines compared to the control group.
However, TGF-?1 levels were significantly higher in the group of women infected with T. gondii only (71.53 ± 25.14 pg/ml) compared to those infected with T. gondii and autoimmune diseases (51.80 ± 6.85 pg/ml) and the control group (45.22 ± 10.76 pg/ml). No significant difference was observed between the latter two groups (P > 0.05).
The findings indicate that PCR is more effective in diagnosing T. gondii infection compared to serological tests. Moreover, the marked increase in IFN-?, IL-12, MCP-1, and TGF-?1 levels in women infected with toxoplasmosis reflects a clear activation of the infection-specific immune response.