Toxoplasmosis

Abstract

Toxoplasmosis is a common infection, but Toxoplasma gondii is not often diagnosed as the cause of illness. The manifestations of congenital toxoplasmosis include chorioretinitis, microcephaly, hydrocephaly, mental retardation, cerebral calcification, and seizure disorders; however, most congenital infections are asymptomatic. Acquired toxoplasmosis can mimic a viral syndrome with lymphadenopathy, infectious mononucleosis, viral pericarditis, or rickettsial spotted fevers. Documented modes of transmission are by eating raw meat and across the placenta of an infected pregnant woman to her child. Oocysts in the feces of cats infected with T. gondii have led to seroconversion in laboratory personnel working with this material. The significance of this change in regard to the epidemiology and natural transmission of toxoplasmosis, especially to pregnant women, remains unresolved. There have been no controlled clinical trials to establish the efficacy of drug therapy.