Toxoplasmic encephalitis in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome--four case reports

Toxoplasma gondii in humans and animals in Japan: An epidemiological overview

Toxoplasmosis is a cosmopolitan protozoan zoonosis caused by Toxoplasma gondii infamous for inducing severe clinical manifestations in humans. Although the disease affects at least one billion people worldwide, it is neglected in many countries including developed ones. In literature, the epidemiological data documenting the actual incidence of the disease in humans and domestic animals from Japan are limited and importantly many earlier papers on T. gondii infections were published in Japanese and a considerable part is not available online. Herein, we review the current summary about the epidemiological situation of T. gondii infection in Japan and the potential associated risk factors in humans and animals as well as the different T. gondii genotypes isolated in Japan. Several T. gondii isolates have been identified among cats (TgCatJpTy1/k-3, TgCatJpGi1/TaJ, TgCatJpObi1 and TgCatJpOk1-4) and goats (TgGoatJpOk1-13). This literature review underscores the need for a nationwide investigation of T. gondii infection in Japanese people and assessment of the socioeconomic impact of the disease burden. Furthermore, epidemiological studies in domestic and wild animals and estimation of degree of contamination of soil or water with T. gondii oocysts are needed, for a better understanding of the scope of this public health concern.

Toxoplasmic encephalitis of basal ganglia with tumor-like features proven by pathogen-specific polymerase chain reaction and direct DNA sequencing

We report a case of a young female patient who developed progressive neurological dysfunction with a ring-enhancing tumor-like nodule on brain magnetic resonance imaging. Urgent surgery was performed to remove the mass in the left basal ganglia. Pathological findings showed that the necrotic brain areas were accompanied by congestion, edema, discrete hemorrhage, and intestinal and perivascular lymphohistiocytic infiltration. Immunohistochemical staining results showed that Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) immunoreactivity was detected in both cysts and tachyzoites in these areas. The glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene (B1) of T. gondii was amplified by sequence-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the PCR products were bi-directional Sanger sequenced. A 195 bp consensus sequence of the gene B1 was found to be 98% identical to a reference T. gondii sequence (GenBank accession No. kx270373). The final diagnosis was toxoplasmic encephalitis in the left basal ganglia. This report suggests that PCR and bi-directional DNA sequencing of T. gondii gene might be the most convenient and rapid tools for accurate diagnosis of toxoplasmic encephalitis .

Toxoplasma gondii exposure and epilepsy: A matched case-control study in a public hospital in northern Mexico

Objectives

This study aimed to determine the association between infection with Toxoplasma gondii and epilepsy in patients attended to in a public hospital in the northern Mexican city of Durango.

Methods

We performed an age- and gender-matched case-control study of 99 patients suffering from epilepsy and 99 without epilepsy. Sera of participants were analyzed for anti-T. gondii IgG and IgM antibodies using commercially available enzyme-linked immunoassays. Seropositive samples to T. gondii were further analyzed for detection of T. gondii DNA by polymerase chain reaction.

Results

Anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies were found in 10 (10.1%) of the 99 cases and in 6 (6.1%) of the 99 controls (odds ratio = 1.74; 95% confidence interval: 0.60-4.99; p = 0.43). High (> 150 IU/mL) levels of anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies were found in 6 of the 99 cases and in 4 of the 99 controls (odds ratio = 1.53; 95% confidence interval: 0.41-5.60; p = 0.74). Anti-T. gondii IgM antibodies were found in 2 of the 10 IgG seropositive cases, and in 2 of the 6 IgG seropositive controls (odds ratio = 0.50; 95% confidence interval: 0.05-4.97; p = 0.60). T. gondii DNA was not found in any of the 10 anti-T. gondii IgG positive patients. Bivariate analysis of IgG seropositivity to T. gondii and International Statistical Classification of Diseases and related Health Problems, 10th Edition codes of epilepsy showed an association between seropositivity and G40.1 code (odds ratio = 22.0; 95% confidence interval: 2.59-186.5; p = 0.008). Logistic regression analysis showed an association between T. gondii infection and consumption of goat meat (odds ratio = 6.5; 95% confidence interval: 1.22-34.64; p = 0.02), unwashed raw vegetables (odds ratio = 26.3; 95% confidence interval: 2.61-265.23; p = 0.006), and tobacco use (odds ratio = 6.2; 95% confidence interval: 1.06-36.66; p = 0.04).

Conclusions

Results suggest that T. gondii infection does not increase the risk of epilepsy in our setting; however, infection might be linked to specific types of epilepsy. Factors associated with T. gondii infection found in this study may aid in the design of preventive measures against toxoplasmosis.

Toxoplasmic Encephalitis in Patient with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

Toxoplasmic encephalitis (TE) is an opportunistic infection found in immunocompromised patients and TE related cerebral mass lesion is often reported in acquired immunodeficiency acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients. However, incidence of TE related AIDS in Korea is still rare and is unfamiliar to neurosurgeons. Differential diagnosis is needed to rule out other brain lesions. A 39-year-old man visited the emergency room with rapid progressive left hemiparesis. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a ring-enhanced mass lesion in his right frontal lobe. Human immunodeficiency virus and Toxoplasma gondii immunoglobulin G were tested positive by a serologic test. We report here a rare case of patient with TE related AIDS.

Intracranial Toxoplasma gondii granuloma in a cat

An 8-year-old cat with recent-onset generalized seizures was diagnosed with a right forebrain mass using magnetic resonance imaging. The mass was excised and upon histologic and immunohistochemical examination shown to be a Toxoplasma gondii granuloma. Serology supported active T gondii infection. The cat was treated with phenobarbital to control seizures. After definitive diagnosis of toxoplasma granuloma, clindamycin was administered for approximately 1 month. Seizures recurred 8 months after initial presentation, and the cat was euthanased at the owner's request. This is a previously unreported manifestation of feline central nervous system toxoplasmosis. When a mass lesion is present in the brain of a cat and serologic test results support active infection with T gondii, toxoplasma granuloma must be a differential diagnosis. If the patient is suffering from clinical disease, surgical resection of the mass (if possible) can be complimented with medical treatment until definitive diagnosis is obtained. Immunocompromising factors should be identified and addressed if possible.

Intracranial inflammatory granuloma caused by toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasmosis is a serous parasitic zoonosis caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii worldwide. Human beings acquire the disease by eating infected meat containing T. gondii cysts, by ingesting water or vegetables contaminated with oocysts shed in the feces of an infected cat, and by transmission from mother to fetus. Cerebral toxoplasmosis is one of the most serious complications in immunocompromised individuals such as HIV-infected patients, with a high mortality rate, whereas the incidence of cerebral toxoplasmosis is extremely rare in immunocompetent persons. Due to the low incidence and the high rate of misdiagnosis, cerebral toxoplasmosis was occasionally described in sporadic cases. (1) Furthermore, the diagnosis of cerebral toxoplasmosis is rather difficult because the clinical manifestations are non-specific and are not sufficiently characteristic for a definite diagnosis. It mimics several other infectious diseases or primary central nervous system (CNS) tumor. (2) In the present study, we reported an exceedingly rare cerebral toxoplasmosis with obvious space-occupying lesion occurring in the left temporal lobe of an immunocompetent adult patient. To our knowledge, this is the first report of successful treatment of acquired cerebral toxoplasmosis in China.

Drinking water source and human Toxoplasma gondii infection in the United States: a cross-sectional analysis of NHANES data

BACKGROUND

Toxoplasma gondii imparts a considerable burden to public health. Human toxoplasmosis can be life-threatening in immunocompromised individuals, has been associated with psychiatric disorders, and can cause severe congenital pathologies, spontaneous abortion, or stillbirth. Environmental modes of transmission contributing to the incidence of human toxoplasmosis are poorly understood. We sought to examine National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data for risk factors associated with T. gondii seroprevalence.

METHODS

T. gondii serology results reported for Continuous NHANES survey years 1999-2004 and 2009-10 were examined. To explore associations with toxoplasmosis seropositivity, covariates of interest were selected a priori, including source and home treatment of tap water. Associations between potential risk factors and evidence of IgG antibodies against T. gondii were assessed using multivariable logistic regression.

RESULTS

Among 23,030 participants with available T. gondii serology across 8 years of continuous NHANES survey data (1999-2004; 2009-2010), persons born outside the United States were significantly more likely to be seropositive, and seropositivity was inversely associated with years spent in the United States. Among US-born participants, participants with homes on well water (both those who used at-home water treatment devices and those who did not), as well as participants with public/private company-provided tap water who did not use at-home water treatment devices, were significantly more likely to be seropositive compared to participants who used home treatment devices on tap water provided by a private or public water company. A comparative subpopulation analysis revealed age-adjusted seroprevalence among US-born persons 12-49 yrs old significantly declined to 6.6% (95% CI, 5.2-8.0) (P <0.0001) in 2009-10, compared to previously published reports for NHANES data from 1988-1994 (14.1%) and 1999-2004 (9.0%).

CONCLUSIONS

Data suggests that T. gondii infections continue to decline in the United States, but the overall infection rate remains substantial at nearly 7%. Despite the limitations in the Continuous NHANES cross-sectional survey, the association between well water use and T. gondii infection warrants further research.

Difficulties with diagnosis and consequential poor outcome due to stigma of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome - a case report

Low incidence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) has been detected in Croatia so far. Toxoplasmic encephalitis (TE) is the most common opportunistic cerebral infection in AIDS patients and is highly responsive to antiparasitic chemotherapy, if treated at an early stage. We present the case of the brain biopsy confirmed as TE on a 36-year-old female patient who at admission presented with unconsciousness and a right hemiplegia. A MSCT was performed and two hypodense lesions were diagnosed. The patient's family initially denied the presence or history of any medical problem or infection. An MRI showed multiple ring-enhanced mass lesions. An infectologist required a brain biopsy to exclude cerebral lymphoma and multiple metastases. Pathohistological analysis suggested TE. Meanwhile, patient's blood samples were found to be HIV positive. The patient was transferred to University Hospital for Infectious Diseases in Zagreb, where she died 2 days following admission. The patient's family terminally confessed that the patient had been HIV positive for 10 years and had refused any treatment. Family's denial of infection as well as 'hiding information' concerning patient's health from physicians involved in her treatment caused a delay in proper on-time patient treatment. We would like to emphasize that TE must be considered as a differential diagnosis in patients presenting with multiple cerebral lesions, including patients without acknowledged past history of HIV infection. A stigma towards HIV infection and ignorance of the disease still exist and therefore hinders proper treatment.

Decompressive craniectomy for encephalitis with brain herniation: case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND

Decompressive craniectomy (DC) has been sporadically used in cases of infectious encephalitis with brain herniation. Like for other indications of DC, evidence is lacking regarding the beneficial or detrimental effects for this pathology.

METHODS

We reviewed all the cases of viral and bacterial encephalitis treated with decompressive craniectomy reported in the literature. We also present one case from our institution. These data were analyzed to determine the relation between clinical and epidemiological variables and outcome in surgically treated patients.

RESULTS

Of 48 patients, 39 (81.25 %) had a favorable functional recovery and 9 (18.75 %) had a negative course. Only two patients (4 %) died after surgical treatment. A statistically significant association was found between diagnosis (viral and bacterial encephalitis) and outcome (GOS) in surgically treated patients. Viral encephalitis, usually caused by herpes simplex virus (HSV), has a more favorable outcome (92.3 % with GOS 4 or 5) than bacterial encephalitis (56.2 % with GOS 4 or 5).

CONCLUSIONS

Based on this literature review, we consider that, due to the specific characteristics of infectious encephalitis, especially in case of viral infection, decompressive craniectomy is probably an effective treatment when brain stem compression threatens the course of the disease. In patients with viral encephalitis, better prognosis can be expected when surgical decompression is used than when only medical treatment is provided.

Heat stress-induced modulation of host defense against Toxoplasma gondii infection in mice

This study examined the effects of burn injury on murine immune response against Toxoplasma gondii infection. Male C57BL/6 mice were divided into 3 groups: T. gondii infection (group T), burn injury (group B), and burn injury followed by T. gondii infection (group BT). The survival of group BT was significantly lower than those of group B and group T. Parasite abundance in the tissues was determined by quantitative competitive-polymerase chain reaction. Group BT exhibited significantly higher numbers of T. gondii than group T. Antibody production against T.g.HSP30 in group BT was significantly lower than that in group T, whereas no significant difference was observed in SAG1-specific antibody production. Delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) specific for 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB) of both group B and group BT was significantly lower than that of group T. One week after infection, serum interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and interleukin (IL)-10 levels in group BT were significantly lower, whereas serum IL-6 levels were significantly higher than in group T Serum TNF-alpha levels in both group T and group BT were elevated at 1 wk after infection, although there was no significant difference between them. Serum IFN-gamma, IL-10, and TNF-alpha levels in group B were not elevated during the experimental term. In conclusion, the impaired antigen-specific antibody production and DTH response, together with the modulated patterns of cytokine responses, seemed to be strongly involved in the development of burn-induced immunosuppression and the consequent increased susceptibility to T. gondii infection in mice.