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- Pranita Tamma, MD
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Baltimore, MD
Toxoplasmosis is caused by infection with the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii. Domestic and feral cats are the definitive hosts of T gondii. During acute infections, cats excrete oocytes, which can remain infectious for about 1 year. Humans can become infected by eating raw or inadequately cooked meat containing oocytes. People also can ingest oocysts inadvertently that cats have passed in their feces. Such exposure may occur from contact with cat litter boxes, contamination with soil from gardening, or the eating of unwashed fruits or vegetables. The incubation period in adults ranges from 5 to 23 days. In the acute stage, T gondii invades many cell types, including muscle, heart, liver, spleen, lymph nodes, and the central nervous system (CNS). Cell invasion results in the death of cells and acute inflammatory reactions.
In adolescents and adults, the severity of T gondii infection is correlated with the immune status of the infected person. Infections in immunocompetent hosts are asymptomatic or can result in lymphadenopathy, fever, and malaise. Such symptoms usually resolve within weeks to months without treatment. Infection in immunocompromised patients can be severe. Immunosuppression can result in …
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