Toxoplasma Gondi

Question 1

Characteristics

Answer 1

Apicomplexa: two apical rings, CONOID (drill), polar rings (connects cytoplasm), rhoptries (enzymes for penetration), and micronemes (modified secretory vesicles)
Cat is normal host, humans intermediate
TORCH
Risk factors: HIV, eating raw/partially cooked meats, exposure to cats
Infective form: sporozoites (sporulated oocysts) can be infective for a year

Question 2

Treatment

Answer 2

Non pregnant healthy: no treatment
Pregnant infection:
1 trimester spiramyacin, ⅔ pyrimethamine sulfadiazinean leucovorin (folinic acid)
Ocular toxoplasmosis: pyrimethamine sulfadiazinean leucovorin

Question 3

Infection/symptoms

Answer 3

Acute: attacks intestinal wall, lesions, moves to lymph nodes, pain, swelling, fever, HA, myalgia, anemia, similar to flu
Subacute: if immunity develops slowly, symptoms prolonged, , cause extensive lesions in lungs, liver, heart, brain, EYES
Ocular toxoplasmosis: most common cause of intraocular inflammation in the world, retinal scarring
Chronic infection: immunity suppresses tachyzoite proliferation, coincides with pseudocysts formation (last years), if cysts rupture bradyzoites released (destroyed by immune system, inflammation, may establish new cysts, causes encephalitis or brain lesions leads to paralysis, blind spots, total blindness, myocarditis, PNA), important in immunospressed and can become opportunistic infection
Congenital toxoplasmosis: parasite can cross placenta, ⅓ chance of fetal infection
Ring enhancing lesions on CT