Ocular toxoplasmosis: a very rare presentation in an immunocompetent patient

ATYPICAL FORMS OF EYE TOXOPLASMOSIS IN CHILDHOOD. CASE REPORTS

AIM

To present an outline of acquired atypical forms of ocular toxoplasmosis (OT) in childhood, with reference to the 100th anniversary of the discovery of this etiology by Professor Janků from Czechoslovakia, who was first to describe the clinical congenital picture of OT characterised by macular scar.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Symptoms of intraocular bilateral neuritis appeared in a 6-year-old girl, with visual acuity (VA) bilaterally 0.1. Toxoplasmic etiology was demonstrated in laboratory tests, and the patient was immunocompetent. Following treatment with macrolide antibiotic and parabulbar application of corticosteroid, the condition was normalised stably at VA 1.0 in both eyes. Bilateral retinal vasculitis was determined in an 8-year-old boy, with VA of 0.25 in the right eye and 0.25 in the left, with a medical history of strabismus detected after suffering from varicella. The examination for toxoplasmosis was negative, but pronounced general hypogammaglobulinaemia classes IgG, IgM and IgA was detected. Immunosuppressive and immunomodulatory therapy did not produce the desired effect, and the condition progressed to retinochoroiditis. Due to blindness and dolorous glaucoma, enucleation of the right eye was performed at the age of 15 years. Histologically toxoplasmic cysts with bradyzoites were detected, a subsequent laboratory test demonstrated toxoplasmic etiology upon a background of persistent regressing hypogammaglobulinaemia. General anti-toxoplasma and subsequent immunosuppressive treatment did not produce the desired effect, and at the age of 22 years the patient lost his sight also in the left eye.

CONCLUSION

Atypical form of OT intraocular neuritis in an immunocompetent patient had a favourable course, whereas retinal vasculitis with retinochoroiditis in a temporarily immunocompromised patient ended in bilateral blindness.

Spinal cord toxoplasmosis in a young immunocompetent patient

We report a case of spinal cord toxoplasmosis occurring as a primary infection in a 31-year-old immunocompetent man. Exhaustive immunologic and genetic investigations did not identify any immunodeficiency. The causative agent was a typical type 2 strain. In cases of spinal cord lesions, toxoplasmosis should be considered, even in an immunocompetent patient.

Tinea corporis infection manifestating as retinochoroiditis-an unusual presentation

BACKGROUND

Tinea corporis, a superficial dermatophyte, is a fungal infection of the body. Ocular involvement due to dermatophytes can present as eyelid infestation. Various cases of retinochoroiditis have been reported secondary to infective etiology such as Toxoplasma gondii, Candida albicans, Trichosporon beigelii, and Sporotrichum schenkii. However, retinochoroiditis secondary to fungal infection of the skin caused by T. corporis has not been reported in the past.

FINDINGS

A 45-year-old female presented with blurring of vision in the left eye for the last 20 days with a history of very severe itching on the abdomen and back. She had been diagnosed to have T. corporis infection by a dermatologist in the past, however, was non-compliant with the treatment. Anterior segment was within normal limits. Fundus examination of the right eye was normal and left eye showed a diffuse yellowish retinochoroiditis patch with irregular margins at the inferotemporal arcade. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) of the left eye through the macula showed shallow subretinal fluid with hyperreflective dots and passing through the retinochoroitidis patch showed increased retinal thickening with a pigment epithelial detachment and subretinal fluid. Left eye fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) showed three hyperfluorescent areas along the inferotemporal arcade increasing in size and intensity with blurring of margins in the late phases. She had extensive reddish color erythematous plaque-like skin lesions over the abdomen and back. Treatment with oral itraconazole resulted in complete resolution of retinochoroiditis. Itraconazole is an orally active, triazole anti-fungal agent found to be effective in the management of dermatomycosis.

CONCLUSION

We report this case to highlight that one must rule out an infective etiology of retinochoroiditis before starting oral corticosteroids as it may worsen the infection especially fungal as in our patient. A detailed medical history and thorough examination helped us in diagnosing a systemic infective pathology and the possible cause of retinochoroiditis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of infective retinochoroiditis secondary to T. corporis to be reported.

Primary Acquired Toxoplasma Retinochoroiditis: Choroidal Neovascular Membrane as an Early Complication

Ocular toxoplasmosis occurs subsequently after systemic infection with the protozoan parasite, Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii). The parasite has a high affinity for retinal microvascular endothelium with the retina being the primary site of infection in the eye. Choroidal neovascular membrane (CNVM) is a late complication of ocular toxoplasmosis, mostly occurring in healed, inactive lesions and may be a cause of sudden loss of vision, especially in young patients. However, we report a case of a 22-year-old female who presented to our clinic with CNVM as an early complication. She complained of metamorphopsia and diminished vision in her right eye. Ocular examination, serological investigation and fundoscopy, fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA), axial optical coherence tomography (OCT), and optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) were carried out and a diagnosis of primary acquired Toxoplasma retinochoroiditis with active CNVM was made. Treatment was commenced with sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim. Oral prednisolone and intravitreal injection of the anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF), bevacizumab, were also given. This report describes the rare presentation of ocular toxoplasmosis as a primary lesion in which adjacent pre-existing fundal scarring was absent. The lesion had an acquired etiology in an immunocompetent patient and was complicated early by CNVM.

Current treatment of ocular toxoplasmosis in immunocompetent patients: a network meta-analysis

Ocular toxoplasmosis (OT) is the most frequent form of infectious posterior uveitis caused by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. To evaluate the available evidence in peer-reviewed publications about the most effective therapy for OT in immunocompetent patients, herein a systematic literature search was conducted using Embase, PubMed, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) database from January 1987 to October 2017, with search terms "OT", "retinochoroiditis", "treatment", and "immunocompetent"; search filters "controlled clinical trial", "randomized clinical trial", and "clinical trial". The included studies were performed to evaluate the various treatment modalities of OT. Different treatment regimens were compared with regard to the improvement of visual acuity, the resolution of vitreous inflammation, recurrence, and side-effects. We independently extracted data and assessed eligibility and risk of bias using the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis, and resolved any disagreement through discussion. A Bayesian network meta-analysis model was used to evaluate the interesting outcomes of all the interventions. Total 10 trials of treatments for OT were found to meet the inclusion criteria. Six trials of treatments including clindamycin, azithromycin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) were compared with conventional therapy (the combination of pyrimethamine, sulfadiazine, and corticosteroids) for evaluation of the effect on visual acuity, vitreous inflammation, recurrence of OT, and side-effects. Two trials were compared TMP-SMX with placebo. One trial was compared azithromycin with TMP-SMX. And another trial was compared among treatments with clindamycin, P-S, TMP-SMX, and placebo. Based on our network meta-analysis, therapy with TMP-SMX seems to be an alternative treatment of OT in immunocompetent patients.

Presentation and Rehabilitation in a Patient With Toxoplasmosis Encephalitis: A Case Study and Review

Toxoplasma gondii is an opportunistic infection that often presents in the setting of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. The infection can cause severe and potentially fatal encephalitis because of the reactivation of latent infections in the setting of immune suppression. Diagnosing toxoplasmosis encephalitis (TE) in immunocompromised patients often is difficult because the signs and symptoms can be nonspecific, but making a diagnosis of TE is even more challenging in a patient who is not known to have human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and shows no other signs of being immunocompromised. Early diagnosis and treatment can result in rapid radiologic and clinical improvement; however, no studies exist that evaluate the utility of functional rehabilitation for patients diagnosed with TE. Although previous studies report a good prognosis for patients who receive antibiotic treatment, they do not discuss the extent to which functional abilities lost during the infection are returned after their treatment. We discuss a case of stroke-like presentation of cerebral TE in a patient whose human immunodeficiency virus status was previously unknown and report the functional improvements that were made during acute inpatient rehabilitation.