Serological and molecular screening of umbilical cord blood for Toxoplasma gondii infection.

Background: Human umbilical cord blood has proven to be a successful alternate source of hematopoietic stem cells for pediatric patients with major hematologic disorders. Toxoplasma gondii is a global opportunistic protozoan which cause fatal complications in immunocompromised individuals.

Aim: Our goal is to study the prevalence of toxoplasmosis in umbilical cord blood (UCB) and to assess the sensitivity of ELISA and PCR for Toxoplasma infection screening.