Toxoplasmosis is one of the most important parasitic factors causing miscarriage in pregnant women. This cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate some hematological parameters and cytokine leve Show more
Toxoplasmosis is one of the most important parasitic factors causing miscarriage in pregnant women. This cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate some hematological parameters and cytokine levels (IL-6 and IL-27) in women who had first-trimester miscarriage due to toxoplasmosis compared to the control group. From January to December 2023, 65 women in Al-Shamiya District, Diwaniyah Governorate, central Iraq, who had previously been diagnosed with toxoplasmosis through serological testing and experienced a first-trimester miscarriage, were the subject of the current study. As controls, there were twenty healthy, non-pregnant women. Laboratory tests were performed on venous blood samples in order to evaluate hematological parameters. The slide agglutination test was also used to identify blood types, and the ELISA test was used to measure the levels of the immunological markers interleukin-6 and interleukin-27. According to the current findings, a statistically significant association was found between blood type and toxoplasmosis incidence (χ² = 12.39, df = 3, P = 0.006). This indicates a genuine association between the two variables, particularly the higher incidence among individuals with blood type B. Laboratory tests confirmed statistically significant differences between the infected women and the control group in most of the analyzed blood parameters. A marked increase in total white blood cell count was observed, while the red blood cell count decreased. The effect size and 95% confidence intervals further support the statistical reliability of the pooled data. The results confirmed a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001) in interleukin-27 levels between the two study groups. However, the mean of 88 pg/mL in the abortion group and 73 pg/mL in the control group indicated a slight increase in serum interleukin-6 levels in the women who had abortions. No statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups (p ≈ 0.16) according to the Mann-Whitney U test used, due to the large variability in the results shown by the aborted animals. The present findings represent preliminary evidence that warrants further research in order to understand the molecular or immunological mechanisms underlying the relationship between toxoplasmosis infection and hematologic parameters and immune markers among women with history of abortion. This will to help stratify the most at-risk people and establish better prevention and early detection in the future. Show less