Active neuro-ophthalmic toxoplasmosis. A clinical study on nineteen patients.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
SEARCH · PubMed Health
Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
An epidemiologic study of 100 patients with active chorioretinitis, positive Sabin-Feldman methylene-blue dye-test, and favourable response to antitoxoplasmic drugs (spiramycin) was undertaken to establish a basis for rapid clinical diagnosis and institution of preventive measures for toxoplasmic uveitis. Eighty-two of the 100 patients, but only 19 of 100 controls, gave positive histories of exposure to likely sources of toxoplasmosis, such as hunting and handling of wild game, ingestion of raw meat, etc. Seventy-six of these 82 patients had positive toxoplasmin skin tests, but all subsequently had positive dye-tests. The important practical conclusion was reached that all cases with active chorioretinitis, positive toxoplasmin skin test, or history of exposure to known reservoirs of toxoplasmosis should be treated immediately, as dye-tests in such cases will almost invariably be positive. This clinical approach greatly improves the visual prognosis of toxoplasmic chorioretinitis, since specific therapy need not be delayed for several weeks until the result of the dye-test is known.
Toxoplasmosis is one of the major opportunistic infections observed in France in 15 to 37 percent of HIV-infected patients. Its main manifestation is encephalitis. Other, less frequent manifestations are chorioretinitis, pneumonia or disseminated toxoplasmosis. The conventional treatment is a combination of pyrimethamine 50-75 mg/day and sulfadiazine 6-8 g/day. Acute therapy should be pursued for at least 3 weeks or until optimal response is achieved, i.e. 6 to 8 weeks in most cases. The pyrimethamine-clindamycin combination in doses of at least 2.4 g/day is a possible alternative. Other drugs are being studied, but there is still a need for new drugs active against the parasite, that could be used in humans. In HIV-infected patients treatment should be maintained lifelong to prevent relapses. Maintenance regimens use the same drugs as acute therapy but in lower doses. The main field of research is primary prophylaxis of toxoplasmosis in HIV-infected patients.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Serum and aqueous humor samples, collected from 14 clinically normal cats and 96 cats with clinical evidence of intraocular inflammation, were assayed with ELISA for Toxoplasma gondii-specific immunoglobulin M (IgM), T gondii-specific IgG, T gondii-specific antigens, total IgG, and total IgM. Additionally, serum was assayed with ELISA for feline leukemia virus p27 antigen and antibodies against the feline immunodeficiency virus as well as with an immunofluorescent antibody assay for antibodies against feline coronaviruses. Calculation of the Goldmann-Witmer coefficient (C-value) for the T gondii-specific antibodies detected in aqueous humor established the likelihood of local antibody production. Serologic evidence of present or prior infection by an infectious agent was found in 81.9% of the clinically affected cats from which serologic results were available (77/94 cats). Seropositive results for toxoplasmosis were found in 74.0% of the clinically affected cats. Anterior segment inflammation was found in 93.1% (81/87 cats from which information was available) of the clinically affected cats, most of which were older males. Toxoplasma gondii-specific antibodies were not detected in the aqueous humor of 6 seropositive, clinically normal cats. The C-values for aqueous T gondii antibodies were greater than 1 in 44.8% of the cats and greater than 8 in 24.0% of the cats. Response to treatment with clindamycin HCl was positive in 15/20 (75%) of the T gondii-seropositive, clinically affected cats treated with this drug. In 13/15 (86.7%) T gondii-seropositive, clinically affected cats having a C-value greater than 1, response to treatment with clindamycin HCl was positive.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
PURPOSE: To analyze the main indications and the most common ultrasonographic features observed in uveitis due to toxoplasmosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We carried out a retrospective, observational and descriptive study performed in 97 exams corresponding to 89 patients with uveitis during 7 consecutive years (1994-2000) using B-ultrasonography evaluation. RESULTS: The main ultrasonographic indication in toxoplasmosis was vitreous opacity. We observed that the most frequent findings were: a) intravitreous punctiform echoes, b) thickening of posterior hyaloid, c) partial or total posterior vitreous detachment and d) focal retinochoroidal thickening. This last finding should be highlighted due to its significant correlation (p<0.01) with toxoplasmosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that ultrasonography plays an important role in the diagnosis and clinical follow-up of toxoplasmic uveitis.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
A child of 4 years old presents cicatricial toxoplasmic chorioretinitis, hydrocephaly and neurological disturbance. The titre of serous anticorps antitoxoplasma have been presented at 1/10. The child doesn't fix the objects, he presents nystagmus of fixation. Being in the presence of a case of congenital toxoplasmosis sequela stadium, it is not necessary a treatment. We insist upon a periodically control for the pregnant women and the treatment for those having positive serology. There are also necessary the prophylactic orders respecting the norms of hygiene and especially the use of milk and meat after an adequate thermic treatment of it.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Since introduction of polymerase chain reaction for the detection of DNA Toxoplasma gondii 398 biological samples from 301 patients were examined from 2000 to 2003. Positive finding of toxoplasmosis DNA we noted in 23 cases. Polymerase chain reaction enables exact and fast diagnosis of the actual parasitemia Toxoplasma gondii, which is important especially in the pregnant patients, new-born with suspicion on congenital toxoplasmosis and in the patients with immunosupression.
UNLABELLED: The clinical management of perinatal toxoplasmosis involves a gynaecologist during pregnancy and a neonatologist after delivery. Then, in the absence of a uniform approach, early evaluation of infected infants requires a thorough long-term follow-up also in asymptomatic children, who have to be observed for at least one year due to unpredictable sequelae in later life. We retrospectively analyzed pregnancy management of 54 women with certain infection from Toxoplasma gondii (TG) and prospectively enrolled their infants to compare prenatal management with postnatal clinical outcome. All mothers with seroconversion for TG infection were from the Palermo area and were retrospectively analyzed, whereas their newborns referred to G. Di Cristina Children Clinical Hospital between 1999-2004 were prospectively enrolled in a 48-month follow-up. Timing of infection was dated for 24 women (45%) to the first trimester, 18 (33%) to the second and 12 (22%) the third. The maternal-fetal transmission rate was 17.2%. Prenatal diagnosis from amniotic fluid was performed in 25/54 pregnant subjects and showed positive results in 6. Despite diagnosis of TG infection, 9 women were untreated and only 2 with positive amniocentesis received combined therapy. 10/55 enrolled infants were infected and half of them were preterm and/or SGA at birth. None showed peculiar signs of TG at birth but 4 had abnormalities during the follow-up. 9/10 infected children were born to mothers who had undergone neither amniocentesis nor combined therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Our work confirms the difficulty of applying standardized therapeutic protocol for TG infection during pregnancy. The asymptomatic course of TG infection at birth confirms the importance of an instrumental long-term follow-up to identify typical TG lesion to prevent sequelae.
The indirect fluorescent antibody technique was used to study the relationship between endogenous uveitis and toxoplasma infection. The seropositive rates of toxoplasma antibody in healthy people, farmers and patients with endogenous uveitis were 10.7%, 15.2% and 30.8% respectively. Compared with the healthy people, the infection rate in uveitic patients was significantly higher (P less than 0.01). The odds ratio of toxoplasma infection in endogenous uveitic patients was 3.72. The results suggest that toxoplasma infection is an infectious cause of endogenous uveitis.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.