High risk of developing toxoplasmic encephalitis in AIDS patients seropositive to Toxoplasma gondii

Abstract

We studied 41 AIDS patients in the Austrian Tyrol with respect to toxoplasma antibody titers and the presence of CNS toxoplasmosis. In no patient had primary Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PcP) prophylaxis with either trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole or pyrimethamine/sulfadoxine been applied; the degree to which CNS toxoplasmosis is influenced by this kind of PcP chemoprophylaxis, widely used elsewhere, is still unclear. In this study 47.4% of toxoplasma-seropositive patients developed CNS toxoplasmosis, compared to the previously estimated risk of 12%-28% for developing CNS involvement in such patients. In view of the high risk of toxoplasma-seropositive patients with AIDS, increased efforts in developing a well-tolerated chemoprophylaxis to combat CNS toxoplasmosis are required.

Some Aspects of Protozoan Infections in Immunocompromised Patients: A Review

“…The serological pattern found in these patients is similar to that observed for the general population with inactive infection. Since in basically all cases the disease results in the reactivation of latent and non-acute infection, IgM antibodies are not habitually detected and IgG antibodies do not discriminate between latent and active infection (Luft et al 1984, Wong et al 1984, Weiss et al 1988, Grant et al 1990, and are even not detectable in a minority of cases with reactivated disease (Zangerle et al 1991, Porter & Sande 1992, Garly et al 1997.…”

Seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in diabetic pregnant women in southwestern of Iran

“…The infected fetus may exhibit a wide range of clinical symptoms of varying severity, from miscarriage and severe infection of neonates to asymptomatic infections (Neva and Brown 1994). This parasite acts as an opportunistic pathogen in immunocompromised people such as those with HIV, encephalitis and systemic infection (Zangerle et al 1991).…”

Detecção de imunoglobulinas IgG, IgM e IgA anti-Toxoplasma gondii no soro, líquor e saliva de pacientes com síndrome da imunodeficiência adquirida e neurotoxoplasmose

“…A doença resulta, na maioria dos casos, de reativação de infecção latente, com prevalência de 3% a 50%, de acordo com a área geográfica, e apresenta elevada morbi-mortalidade, se não reconhecida e tratada precocemente [1][2][3] . O risco estimado de reativação a nível de sistema nervoso central (SNC) de pacientes com SIDA e infecção crônica varia de 12% a 47% 4,5 . O diagnóstico precoce da neurotoxoplasmose, nestes casos, tem sido limitado por falta de métodos propedêuticos não invasivos, de maior sensibilidade e especificidade.…”