Toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii, an apicomplexan. Infections with toxoplasmosis are associated with a variety of neuropsychiatric and behavioral conditions. Occasionally, infected individuals may experience a few weeks or months of mild, flu-like illness such as muscle aches and tender lymph nodes. In a small number of people, eye problems may develop. In those with a weakened immune system, severe symptoms such as seizures and poor coordination may occur. If a woman becomes infected during pregnancy, a condition known as congenital toxoplasmosis may affect the child. Toxoplasmosis is usually spread by eating poorly cooked food that contains cysts, by exposure to infected cat feces, or from an infected woman to her baby during pregnancy. Rarely, the disease may be spread by blood transfusion or other organ transplant. It is thought to not otherwise spread between people, but broader transmissibility remains a matter of scientific debate. Studies have reported the presence of T. gondii in human semen and have proposed sexual transmission as a possible route, though this has not been established as a primary mode of spread. The parasite is only known to reproduce sexually in the cat family. It can infect most types of warm-blooded animals, including humans. Diagnosis is typically by testing blood for antibodies or by testing the amniotic fluid in a pregnant patient for the parasite's DNA. Prevention is by properly preparing and cooking food. Pregnant women are also recommended not to clean cat litter boxes or, if they must, to wear gloves and wash their hands afterwards. Treatment of otherwise healthy people is usually not needed. During pregnancy, spiramycin or pyrimethamine/sulfadiazine and folinic acid may be used for treatment. Up to half of the world's population is infected by T. gondii, but have no symptoms. In the United States, approximately 11%...