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Toxoplasmosis

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment
• Prevention

Treatment:

No treatment is recommended for people without symptoms, except children, to prevent retinal inflammation. Treatment of women in pregnancy is controversial because of the toxicity of the medications, but treatment is still advocated.

Medications to treat the infection include: pyrimethamine, sulfonamide drugs, folinic acid, clindamycin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Treatment in AIDS patients is continued as long as the immune system is weak, to prevent reactivation of the disease.

Expectations (prognosis):

Acute infection in children may cause retinochoroiditis (inflammation of the retina). Toxoplasmosis in adults has a good prognosis (probable outcome) if the immune system is healthy. Chronic infection without any symptoms is usually benign (harmless).

Complications:

• spread of the infection in immunocompromised hosts (can be fatal)
• permanent disability in infants (blindness, learning disorders, and so on)
• recurrence of the disease

Calling your health care provider:

Call for an appointment with your health care provider if symptoms of toxoplasmosis occur. Urgent or emergency conditions exist if the disorder occurs in an immunosuppressed person or in a baby, or if confusion, seizures, or other severe symptoms develop.

References:

Cohen J, Powderly WG. Infectious Diseases . 2nd ed. New York, NY: Elsevier; 2004.

Mandell GL, Bennett JE, Dolin R. Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases . 6th ed. London: Churchill Livingstone; 2005.

• Review Date: 2/13/2006
• Reviewed By: Monica Gandhi, M.D., M.P.H., Assistant Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, UCSF, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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