ToxoplasmosisKyler Cameron

Background Information

Toxoplasmosis is an infection that is caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which affects all warm blooded animals including humans. Infection is caught

by eating anything infected or contaminated with the parasite, such as undercooked or raw meat (including raw cured meat) and unpasteurised goats' milk or by contact with infected cat faeces or cat litter/soil contaminated with

infected cat feces. If it is acquired for the first time during the pregnancy it can be passed on to the fetus.

How It's Acquired You can get it by eating anything that has a parasite in it like raw or uncooked meat. You can also get it by drinking unpasteurized goats' milk. The weirdest way to get it is by coming in contact with cat feces.

Prevention

There are no vaccines currently available for T. gondii, although several are in early in development. Prevention of congenital transmission is possible through early diagnosis of acute infection in mothers and administration of a prophylactic regimen of spiramycin.

Prevention of primary infection is currently best achieved through health education. Recommendations include adequately cooking meat before consumption at temperatures of at least 150 degrees F and avoiding handling raw meat with ungloved hands. Cat owners are warned to avoid directly handling litter trays or soil that may be contami-nated with cat feces. Pregnant women especially should avoid contact with cats or handling litter trays.

Symptoms In non pregnant people

•Minimal or flu-like •Serious problems with AIDs patients and people with immune issues

SymptomsIn babies

•Excess fluid on the brain•Developmental delays•Epilepsy•Retinochoroiditis (a light sensitive film behind the eyes)

Treatment

Treatment of toxoplasmosis in immunocompetent patients is usually unnecessary. In immunocompromised patients, the recommended treatment

is a combination of pyrimethamine given at 25-100 mg daily and trisulfapyrimidines given at 2-6 g daily, both for a month. Folinic acid can also

be administered to reduce bone marrow depression caused by the pyrimethamine. Clindamycin has been found to be effective at treating

toxoplasma encephalitis in AIDS patients.

In non pregnant people

TreatmentIn pregnant women

In acutely infected pregnant women, the recommended treatment includes spiramycin if the fetus has not yet acquired toxoplasmosis. Spiramycin is an antibiotic that localizes to the placenta and has been shown to reduce placental infection by 60%. It does have some teratogenic effects, which must be weighed against the risk of congenital infection. If the fetus is infected, the aforementioned drug combination is administered instead of spiramycin.

Toxoplasmosis is often

asymptomatic?

Review

Yes, mostly in healthy

people, symptoms often

resemble mononucleosis

or there are no symptoms

at all. In people with weak

immune symptoms,

serious disease involving

the central nervous

system, lungs, muscles,

and heart. Even death

may occur.

What is the incubation

period for toxoplasmosis?

5 to 20 days. It is usually

between 5 and 20 days,

depending on mode of

transmission.

Toxoplasmosis be transmitted by eating raw or undercooked meat?

It can be transmitted by eating infected raw or undercooked meat (usually pork or mutton). Also by food or water contaminated by cat feces.

Toxoplasmosis in action!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWxgpvzZLx0&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Toxoplasma Gondii Emerging Out From Fibrolasts

Works Cited"Cash Counts." Toxoplasmosis: What Are the Symptoms? Web. 27 Mar. 2012. http://www.cafamily.org.uk/medicalinformation/conditions /azlistings /t30_2.html  "Toxoplasmosis." - Life Cycle. Web. 27 Mar. 2012. http://www.stanford.edu/class/humbio103/ParaSites2006/Toxoplasmosis /lifecycle.html.  "Click Here To Play: Toxoplasmosis." Toxoplasmosis. Web. 27 Mar. 2012. http://www.funtrivia.com/en/subtopics/Toxoplasmosis-91686.html.  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and. Prevention, 01 Feb. 2012. Web. 27 Mar. 2012. <http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/toxoplasmosis/>.

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