Anti-Rubella IgМ

Rubella is an acute infectious disease transmitted by respiratory droplets; the causative agent is the rubella virus of the Rubivirus genus. 

It is included in the group of TORCH-infections, i.e. the group of diseases of pregnant women that pose a special danger to the intrauterine development of the fetus.

On average, 33% of women have a potential risk of infection during pregnancy. The main clinical manifestation is the appearance of finely-spotted rash on the body and lymph nodes enlargement. In 40% of cases, rubella is asymptomatic, but the greatest danger to the fetus is the latent form of rubella, accompanied by the prolonged presence of the virus in the body of the pregnant woman.

If a woman is infected in the first two months of pregnancy, the fetus has a very high risk of developing heart defects and damage to the visual organs. Infection in the third or fourth month is a risk of severe malformations of the central nervous system and hearing organs. If a woman gets sick in the first 6 weeks of pregnancy, the risk of congenital anomaly is 56%, at 13-16 weeks - from 6 to 10 percent. After 16 weeks - no particular risk is noted. An accurate diagnosis of rubella can only be made by detecting specific IgG and IgM antibodies to the rubella virus.

Anti-Rub IgM is an antibody to rubella virus that appears during the acute period of the disease (within 2 months). The test helps to diagnose rubella when the doctor suspects the disease. Antibodies appear in the body on the first day of rashes - in 50% of surveyed, after 5 days - over 90%. After 2 weeks - in all rubella patients.

Anti-Rub IgM is detected 3 days after the appearance of the specific rash in 50% of patients. On day 8 - in 90%. On day 20, in almost all surveyed. The absence of antibodies in the newborn excludes congenital infection. The main purpose of prescribing the analysis is to diagnose the patient's immune defense against rubella virus. After 6 weeks, the IgM concentration begins to decrease and is detected in only 50% of patients. In individual cases, antibodies persist for a year. In congenital rubella, Anti-Rub IgM is immediately detected in newborns. False-positive or false-negative test results are possible with infection with cytomegalovirus, measles virus or parvovirus B19.