Comparison of three immunoassays for detection of anti-toxoplasma IgM antibodies in pregnant women

• Pages: 13-22

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Balkan Journal of

Interdisciplinary Research

E-ISSN 2411-9725

ISSN 2410-759X

Vol. 9 No.3

December, 2023

Comparison of three immunoassays for detection of anti-toxoplasma IgM

antibodies in pregnant women

Blerta Laze

Department of Biology, Faculty of Technical Sciences,

University “Ismail Qemali”, Vlora, Albania

DOI: hps://doi.org/10.2478/bjir-2023-0014

Abstract

Aim of investigation: Comparison of an electrochemiluminescence technique (ECL, applied

in Cobas 6000 instrument), an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA, applied in

CHORUS instrument) and an enzyme-linked uorescent assay (ELFA, applied in MINI-VIDAS

instrument) for early diagnosis of Toxoplasma gondii infection in pregnant women. Medical

diagnosis is required to determine the most sensitive techniques to diagnose this pathogen,

in the framework of which is developed this scientic work. This is very important due to the

multiple fetal infections during pregnancy.

Methods: ECL, ELISA and ELFA techniques are used to detect anti-toxoplasma IgM antibodies

in pregnant women, during the rst trimester of pregnancy. 200 samples were analyzed with

each technique and sensitivity and specicity are evaluated for each of them.

Results: ECL technique has resulted in higher sensitivity (100%) and specicity (99.3%), while

ELISA technique has resulted in lower sensitivity (87.5%) and specicity (97.3%).

Conclusion: Analysis of the results conrmed the usefulness of ECL technique for an early

diagnosis of Toxoplasma gondii infections in pregnant women. Anyway, for diagnostic purposes,

the results should always be assessed in conjuction with the patient’s medical history and

other clinical examinations.

Keywords: Electrochemiluminescence; ELISA; ELFA; Toxoplasma gondii; sensitivity.

1. Introduction

Toxoplasma gondii is a well-known obligate intracellular protozoa pathogen of

virtually all warm-blooded animals and commonly infects human worldwide

(Begheo et al. 2005). The infection is mainly acquired by ingestion of food or water

that is contamined by mature oocysts shed by cats or by undercooked meat containing

tissue cysts. Acute infection of toxoplasmosis in early pregnancy of women carries

the peril of transmiing the infection to the fetus with serious and unpredictable

consequences in later life (Begheo et al. 2005; Many, 2006). A rst step in diagnosing

1

Vol. 9 No.2

September, 2023

Balkan Journal of Interdisciplinary Research

IIPCCL Publishing, Graz-Austria

E-ISSN 2411-9725

ISSN 2410-759X

Research Article

© 2023 Ardita Abazi Imeri

This is an open access article licensed under the Creative Commons

Aribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

(hps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)

Deliberating in the Gray Zone: North Macedonia’s Hybrid Regime and

Deliberative Democracy Exercise

Ardita Abazi Imeri

European Policy Institute (EPI) – Skopje

DOI: hps://doi.org/10.2478/bjir-2023-0001

Abstract

Deliberative polling has emerged as a promising method for promoting democratic reform

and citizen engagement in various contexts, however, its potential and limitations in hybrid

regimes, where democratic governance is challenged by a mix of democratic and authoritarian

features, remain relatively unexplored. This paper focuses on the case of North Macedonia,

as a country that has undergone signicant political and societal transformation especially in

the recent years. Despite eorts to promote democratic reforms, the country continues to face

challenges in terms of ensuring democratic governance and citizen participation. In a hybrid

regime, like North Macedonia’s, political leaders might not be inclined to value citizens’

input, and the media environment might not be free from inuence, which limits access to

varied and reliable sources of information. Civil society organizations may also encounter

limitations on their operations, and institutional assistance may be insucient. Additionally,

the population’s diversity could make it dicult to reach and build trust with citizens. In

this context, deliberative polling represents an opportunity to engage citizens in meaningful

political dialogue and institutional reform. This paper examines the potential of deliberative

polling as a tool for promoting governance in North Macedonia and highlights the challenges

and limitations faced in this process.

Keywords: deliberative poll, hybrid regime, authoritarian, democracy.

1. Introduction

Democracy around the world is in crisis. In general, the state of democracy world-

wide indicates a lack of progress (Economist Intelligence Unit, 2022). Looking at the

global picture, 2022 fell short of expectations for democracy, as it was anticipated that

the lifting of pandemic-related restrictions might result in an improvement in the

overall score. Both the Freedom House Report 2022 and the Economist Intelligence

Unit’s Democracy Index (EIU) 2022 indicate that the state of democracy around the

world is facing signicant challenges and setbacks.

Research Article

© 2023 Blerta Laze

This is an open access article licensed under the Creative Commons

Aribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

(hps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)