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Hurt K, Kodym P, Stejskal D, Zikan M, Mojhova M, Rakovic J. Toxoplasmosis impact on prematurity and low birth weight. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0262593. [PMID: 35025961 PMCID: PMC8758008 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0262593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Toxoplasma gondii, one of the most common parasites, causes toxoplasmosis, one of the most frequent zoonotic diseases worldwide. T. gondii infects about one-third of the world’s population. T. gondii infection is generally considered a major risk for spontaneous abortion, prematurity and low birth weight in the animal sphere. Less commonly, a toxoplasma serological profile is correlated with the particular data of delivery. Acute T. gondii infection during pregnancy often leads to spontaneous abortion and/or a severe injury of the eyes, brain, and other structures of the foetus. Latent T. gondii infection of pregnant women could lead to less obvious but important changes during pregnancy, including the end product of pregnancy and the timing of labour. This study aimed to contribute to the current knowledge by comparing serological T. gondii profiles of pregnant women with prematurity and low birth weights of newborns. Material and methods A retrospective study design was adopted. The study participants included a cohort of 1733 pregnant women who consecutively gave birth to their children and underwent regular antenatal biochemical screening between the 14th and 16th weeks of pregnancy. Prematurity was defined as the liveborn preterm delivery in gestational age of pregnancy <37 weeks. Low birth weight was defined as weight at birth of ≤2499 grams. The complement-fixation test (CFT) provided serological profiles for toxoplasmosis that expresses the overall levels of toxoplasma immunoglobulins of all classes. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests for IgG and IgM were used simultaneously. IgM positivity helped to differentiate acute from the latent stage of toxoplasmosis. Birth data, especially the week of delivery and fetal weight, were evaluated accordingly. Results Of the 1733 pregnant women, 25% were diagnosed as latent toxoplasma positive, and 75% as toxoplasma negative. There were 87 premature deliveries versus 1646 timely births. We observed 88 low birth weights and 1645 normal fetal weights. We found a statistically significant association between latent toxoplasmosis and prematurity, χ2(1) = 5.471, p = .019 and between latent toxoplasmosis and low birth weight of newborns, χ2(1) = 7.663, p = .006. There was a 1.707 times higher risk of prematurity for toxoplasma-positive women, while the risk for low birth weight was 1.861 times higher. The strength of both tests of association was mild. We tested the correlation between the levels of CFT titres and week of delivery and weight of newborns. No association was found between the level of latent toxoplasmosis and the week of delivery and fetal weight. Conclusion Latent toxoplasmosis was associated with premature birth rate and lower birth weight of newborns. The odds of premature delivery was 1.7 and low birth weight 1.9 times higher in women with latent toxoplasmosis compared to toxoplasma negative women. Even though the strength of the association in our large sample is relatively mild, the combination of latent toxoplasmosis with other adverse factors could cause serious harm. Whole CFT and specific IgG levels of latent toxoplasmosis are not linked to the severity of prematurity or low birth weight in newborns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karel Hurt
- Obstetrics and Gynaecology dpt., First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
- * E-mail:
| | - Petr Kodym
- National Institute of Public Health in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | | | - Michal Zikan
- Obstetrics and Gynaecology dpt., First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Martina Mojhova
- Obstetrics and Gynaecology dpt., First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
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Winn A, Martin A, Castellon I, Sanchez A, Lavi ES, Munera F, Nunez D. Spine MRI: A Review of Commonly Encountered Emergent Conditions. Top Magn Reson Imaging 2021; 29:291-320. [PMID: 33264271 DOI: 10.1097/rmr.0000000000000261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Over the last 2 decades, the proliferation of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) availability and continuous improvements in acquisition speeds have led to significantly increased MRI utilization across the health care system, and MRI studies are increasingly ordered in the emergent setting. Depending on the clinical presentation, MRI can yield vital diagnostic information not detectable with other imaging modalities. The aim of this text is to report on the up-to-date indications for MRI of the spine in the ED, and review the various MRI appearances of commonly encountered acute spine pathology, including traumatic injuries, acute non traumatic myelopathy, infection, neoplasia, degenerative disc disease, and postoperative complications. Imaging review will focus on the aspects of the disease process that are not readily resolved with other modalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron Winn
- University of Miami, Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, FL
| | - Adam Martin
- University of Miami, Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, FL
| | - Ivan Castellon
- University of Miami, Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, FL
| | - Allen Sanchez
- University of Miami, Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, FL
| | | | - Felipe Munera
- University of Miami, Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, FL
| | - Diego Nunez
- Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
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Machado DMR, de Barros LD, de Souza Lima Nino B, de Souza Pollo A, Dos Santos Silva AC, Perles L, André MR, Zacarias Machado R, Garcia JL, Lux Hoppe EG. Toxoplasma gondii infection in wild boars (Sus scrofa) from the State of São Paulo, Brazil: Serology, molecular characterization, and hunter's perception on toxoplasmosis. VETERINARY PARASITOLOGY- REGIONAL STUDIES AND REPORTS 2021; 23:100534. [PMID: 33678387 DOI: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2021.100534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2020] [Revised: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The consumption of wild boar meat, common in many countries, became popular in Brazil after the hunting of these animals was authorized in 2013. The meat of these animals is often consumed by hunters and their social groups, and their offal is occasionally used as supplemental food in the diet of hunting dogs. Given the high frequency of foodborne diseases related to wild boar meat consumption in other countries, including toxoplasmosis, knowledge on these diseases is essential for risk assessment and elaboration of education campaigns for the exposed public. Thus, this study aimed diagnosing, isolating, and genotyping Toxoplasma gondii in hunted wild boars. For that, we obtained samples of serum and tissues (brain, tongue, diaphragm, and heart) from 26 wild boar hunted in three areas in São Paulo State, Brazil, based on convenience sampling strategy. The serum samples were submitted to the indirect immunofluorescence reaction test (IFAT) test while the tissue samples (n = 22) were used to perform a bioassay in mice to isolate the parasite. The isolated samples were genetically characterized by PCR-RFLP with SAG1, 5' and 3' SAG2, alt.SAG2, SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, c22-8, c29-2, L358, PK1, and Apico markers. Questionnaires were also formulated and applied to wildlife hunters to assess knowledge about toxoplasmosis. The seroprevalence of T. gondii was 76.9% (20/26), with titers ranging from 16 to 1024. Viable parasites accounted for 4.5% (1/22) of the samples. The ToxoDB #6 genotype of TgJava1 alone was detected. Most interviewed hunters, 84.2% (16/19) consume game meat and a few of them (15.7%; 3/19) prefer undercooked meat. Also, 15.7% (3/19) of the hunters reported supplementing their hunting dogs' diet with wild boar meat and/or offal. As antibodies to T. gondii were detected in 76.9% (20/26) of the studied wild boars, we concluded that infection by T. gondii is frequent in wild boars used for human and animal consumption in the studied areas. Although genotype #6 is commonly found in Brazil in domestic animals, wild animals, and humans, causing everything from mild clinical symptoms to death, this study found, for the first time, the detection of this genotype in wild boars. These results also reaffirm the importance of these animals as a possible source of T. gondii infection for humans and domestic animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dália Monique Ribeiro Machado
- Universidade Estadual Paulista - Unesp, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias de Jaboticabal, Departamento de Patologia, Reprodução Animal e Saúde Única, Rodovia Professor Paulo Donato Castelane, s/n, Zona Rural, CEP 14887-900, Jaboticabal, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Luiz Daniel de Barros
- Universidade Estadual de Londrina (UEL), Centro de Ciências Agrárias, Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva, Rodovia Celso Garcia Cid, Jardim Portal de Versalhes 1, 86057-970 Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Beatriz de Souza Lima Nino
- Universidade Estadual de Londrina (UEL), Centro de Ciências Agrárias, Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva, Rodovia Celso Garcia Cid, Jardim Portal de Versalhes 1, 86057-970 Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Andressa de Souza Pollo
- Universidade Estadual Paulista - Unesp, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias de Jaboticabal, Departamento de Patologia, Reprodução Animal e Saúde Única, Rodovia Professor Paulo Donato Castelane, s/n, Zona Rural, CEP 14887-900, Jaboticabal, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ana Clécia Dos Santos Silva
- Universidade Estadual de Londrina (UEL), Centro de Ciências Agrárias, Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva, Rodovia Celso Garcia Cid, Jardim Portal de Versalhes 1, 86057-970 Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Lívia Perles
- Universidade Estadual Paulista - Unesp, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias de Jaboticabal, Departamento de Patologia, Reprodução Animal e Saúde Única, Rodovia Professor Paulo Donato Castelane, s/n, Zona Rural, CEP 14887-900, Jaboticabal, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Marcos Rogério André
- Universidade Estadual Paulista - Unesp, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias de Jaboticabal, Departamento de Patologia, Reprodução Animal e Saúde Única, Rodovia Professor Paulo Donato Castelane, s/n, Zona Rural, CEP 14887-900, Jaboticabal, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Rosângela Zacarias Machado
- Universidade Estadual Paulista - Unesp, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias de Jaboticabal, Departamento de Patologia, Reprodução Animal e Saúde Única, Rodovia Professor Paulo Donato Castelane, s/n, Zona Rural, CEP 14887-900, Jaboticabal, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - João Luis Garcia
- Universidade Estadual de Londrina (UEL), Centro de Ciências Agrárias, Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva, Rodovia Celso Garcia Cid, Jardim Portal de Versalhes 1, 86057-970 Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Estevam Guilherme Lux Hoppe
- Universidade Estadual Paulista - Unesp, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias de Jaboticabal, Departamento de Patologia, Reprodução Animal e Saúde Única, Rodovia Professor Paulo Donato Castelane, s/n, Zona Rural, CEP 14887-900, Jaboticabal, São Paulo, Brazil.
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Graham AK, Fong C, Naqvi A, Lu JQ. Toxoplasmosis of the central nervous system: Manifestations vary with immune responses. J Neurol Sci 2020; 420:117223. [PMID: 33213861 DOI: 10.1016/j.jns.2020.117223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2020] [Revised: 10/12/2020] [Accepted: 11/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Toxoplasmosis is an opportunistic infection caused by Toxoplasma gondii (TG), which affects one third of the global human population and commonly involves the central nervous system (CNS)/brain despite the so-called CNS immune privilege. Symptomatic clinical disease of TG infection is much more commonly associated with immunodeficiency; clinicopathological manifestations of CNS toxoplasmosis are linked to individual immune responses including the CNS infiltration of T-cells that are thought to prevent the disease. In patients with autoimmune diseases, immune status is complicated mainly byimmunosuppressant and/or immunomodulatory treatment but typically accompanied by infiltration of T-cells that supposedly fight against toxoplasmosis. In this article, we review characteristics of CNS toxoplasmosis comparatively in immunocompromised patients, immunocompetent patients, and patients with coexisting autoimmune diseases, as well as CNS immune responses to toxoplasmosis with a representative case to demonstrate brain lesions at different stages. In addition to general understanding of CNS toxoplasmosis, our review reveals that clinical manifestations of CNS toxoplasmosis are commonly nonspecific, and incidental pathological findings of TG infection are relatively common in immunocompetent patients and patients with autoimmune diseases (compared to immunocompromised patients); CNS immune responses such as T-cell infiltrates vary in acute and chronic lesions of brain toxoplasmosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice K Graham
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, Hamilton General Hospital, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
| | - Crystal Fong
- Neuroradiology Division, Department of Radiology, Hamilton General Hospital, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Asghar Naqvi
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, Hamilton General Hospital, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Jian-Qiang Lu
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, Hamilton General Hospital, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada; Neuropathology Section, Hamilton General Hospital, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
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Almeria S, Dubey JP. Foodborne transmission of Toxoplasma gondii infection in the last decade. An overview. Res Vet Sci 2020; 135:371-385. [PMID: 33148402 DOI: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2020.10.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Revised: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic disease of global distribution and importance. It is caused by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii, the only species in the Toxoplasma genus. This parasite can infect most warm-blooded animals, including humans and livestock. Main routes of transmission are by ingestion of tissue cysts in raw or undercooked meat of infected animals, ingestion of raw vegetables or water contaminated with T. gondii oocysts from cat feces, and transplacental. Around one-third of human beings are chronically infected with T. gondii. Most infections appear to be asymptomatic in immunocompetent persons, but toxoplasmosis can be fatal to the fetus and immunocompromised adults. Water and foodborne outbreaks have been caused by this parasite worldwide, but few are well documented. Importantly, T. gondii is a parasite of high importance in animal health, causing reproductive failure, particularly in small ruminants, and clinical toxoplasmosis in many species. This overview discusses the knowledge of T. gondii infections in the last decade focusing on the foodborne transmission of this parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Almeria
- Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Nutrition, Office of Applied Research and Safety Assessment, Division of Virulence Assessment, Laurel, MD 20708, USA.
| | - J P Dubey
- USA Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Service, Animal Parasitic Disease Laboratory, Building 1001, BARC-East, Beltsville, MD 20705-2350, USA
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