[Antibody titer to Toxoplasma gondii in uveitis of toxoplasmosis and other origin].

The diagnostic value of toxoplasma serology in ocular toxoplasmosis is a controversial issue. Some authors feel that a positive titer indicates nothing more than that the patient had been exposed to Toxoplasma gondii at some stage. Even if in most cases the diagnosis is based on the morphological findings on the fundus, it might sometimes be useful to have an additional serologic evaluation. In a retrospective study we compared the level of antitoxoplasmosis antibodies (measured in a complement fixation test and an immunofluorescence test) in 75 patients with clinically proven ocular toxoplasmosis and 146 patients with uveitis of other origin. In our results we showed that the incidence of positive titers and antibody levels are significantly higher in patient with ocular toxoplasmosis than in other uveitis patient (chi 2-test, Mann-Whitney Willcoxon test, p = 0.05). There was no significant difference between antibody levels in patients with anterior uveitis, posterior uveitis or panuveitis of nontoxoplasmotic origin. No correlation between the antibody levels and amount of retinochorioidal fundus lesions could be found. Based on our results, we conclude that in cases where fundus findings are compatible with ocular toxoplasmosis and a complement fixation or immunefluorescence test is positive, specific antitoxoplasmotic therapy should be started.