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Toxoplasma gondii. Christina Drazan. Geographic Distribution. Worldwide, one of the most common human infections More common in warm climates High prevalence in France and C. America High prevalence in France seems to be due to the preference for eating raw or undercooked meat - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Toxoplasma gondiiChristina Drazan
Geographic Distribution
Worldwide, one of the most common human infections
More common in warm climates High prevalence in France and C. America
High prevalence in France seems to be due to the preference for eating raw or undercooked meat
In C. America, it seems to be related to the frequency of stray cats in a climate favoring survival of oocysts and soil exposure
Definitive Host/Intermediate
Host Cats are the only definitive host It can infect nearly all warm-blooded
animals but they are considered intermediate hosts
Life Cycle
T. gondii
T. gondii Cyst in the Brain
Sites of Infection Definitive host – breeds in the small
intestine, Vector– travels in the blood and attacks
other tissues http://animal.discovery.com/videos/monsters
-inside-me-toxoplasma-parasite.html
Pathogensis/Clinical Signs
In cats Anorexia Weight loss Lethargy Labored breathing Ocular signs Fever
Pathogensis/Clinical Signs
In humans Most do not have symptoms 10-20% develop sore nodes and muscle pains that eventually go
away Once infected, always infected Go dormant as tissue cysts but reactivate when a person becomes
sick with another disease or takes immunosuppressive drugs Can cause blindness if the parasite reaches the eye If a woman is infected during pregnancy, she can transmit the
disease to her unborn child This can cause:
A miscarriage or stillborn baby The baby can be born with signs of toxoplasmosis (ex.
Abnormal enlargement or smallness of head) The baby could have brain or eye damage which can develop
later in life
Diagnosis Is typically made by serologic tests by
detecting immunoglobulin antibodies within several weeks of infection (in both humans and cats)
Living parasites can also be found in a sample of blood, cerebrospinal or other body fluids but the process is more difficult so rarely used
Congenital infections – detecting T. gondii DNA in amniotic fluid using molecular methods such as PCR
Treatment for Humans Combinations of pyrimethamine with
Trisulfapyrimidines or sulfadiazine Folinic acid in the form of leucovorin calcium to protect
the bone marrow from the toxic effects of pyrimethamine
Combination of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim For pregnant women
First four months – spiramycin After four months – sulfadizain/pyrimethamine and
folinic acid Congenitally infected babies are treated with
sulfonamide and pyrimethamine
Treatment for Cats Antibiotic called Clindamycin Pyrimethamine with sulfadizine
Control Measures Do not allow cats to hunt or roam Do not eat raw or undercooked meat, and don’t
drink water from the environment Keep your cat from using the garden or children’s
play area (i.e. sandbox) as a litter box Remove feces from litter box daily, and wash
hands after Pregnant women should not clean the litter box Control rodent populations and other potential
intermediates
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