Serological Study of IgG and IgM Antibodies to Cytomegalovirus and Toxoplasma Infections in Pregnant Women in Zakho City, Kurdistan Region, Iraq

Background: Toxoplasma gondii and Cytomegalovirus (CMV) can cause a range of diseases in pregnant women and may lead to adverse fetal outcomes. Therefore, the detection of these infections is necessary during pregnancy. Objectives: The aim of this study was to estimate the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma and Cytomegalovirus infections among the pregnant women with history of abortion in Zakho city, Iraq. Methods: Over a period of five years (2014-2018), blood samples were collected from 500 subjects aged 16-45 years old and tested to identify the presence of specific IgG and IgM to Toxoplasma and CMV infections by Enzyme Linked Fluorescent Assay (ELFA) method. Results: Of 500 pregnant women, 145 (29%) and 7 (1.8%) were seropositive for anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM, respectively. IgG seropositivityto T. gondii infection varied significantly between age groups (P=0.05). Additionally, the seroprevalence of IgG and IgM antibodies for CMV was 475 (95%) and 9 (1.8%), respectively. Estimation of age specific subgroups showed high CMV IgG seropositivity rates for all age groups with no significant difference between them. Altogether, 145 cases were verified seropositive for specific IgG antibody against both pathogens and only 2 cases were positive for specific IgM against both agents. Conclusion: Anti-Toxoplasma and CMV IgG and IgM antibodies positivity rates among pregnant women determined in the present study are quite similar as compared to other studies reported in Kurdistan Region, Iraq. Though, infection with those pathogens is not a major cause of abortion; it is useful to screen women with recurrent abortion for such infections in order to avoid undesirable fetal outcomes and other serious complications.