Background: It is estimated that about a third of the world's population is chronically infected with Toxoplasma gondii. Toxoplasma encephalitis (TE), which occurs as a reactivation of quiescent chronic infection, is one of the leading causes of central nervous system (CNS) infection in AIDS. Its diagnosis in most centres still remains difficult. We opted to describe the clinical and radiological features of TE as well as in-hospital outcome and its associated factors.
Methods: We carried out a cross sectional study on the clinical case notes of adult patients admitted and treated for TE at the Douala General Hospital, Cameroon between January 1st 2004 to December 31st 2009.
Results: Of 672 patients admitted during the study period, 14.4% (97/672) had TE. The mean age was 36.9 ± 14.1 years and the median CD4 cell count was 68/mm3 (IQR): 43 - 103). Headache and fever were the most common presenting symptoms in 92.8% (90/97) and 87.6% (85/97) of patients. Annular contrast enhanced lesions were the most common brain scan finding in 81.4% (79/97) of patients. In-hospital mortality was 29.9% (29/97). Altered sensorium, presence of focal signs, neck stiffness and low CD4 cell count were factors associated with mortality. Adjusting for low CD4 count, altered sensorium remained strongly associated with fatality, adjusted odd ratio (AOR) 3.5 (95% CI 1.2 - 10.5).
Conclusion: Toxoplasma encephalitis is common among AIDS patients in Douala. Its high case fatality warrants adequate and compliant prophylactic therapy in severely immune depressed patients as well as early initiation of antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected patients.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3636036 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1756-0500-6-146 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Construction and biological function of gene knockout strain.
Zhong Nan Da Xue Xue Bao Yi Xue Ban
August 2024
Department of Parasitology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410013.
Objectives: Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic parasitic disease caused by (), which can lead to complications such as encephalitis and ocular toxoplasmosis. The disease becomes more severe when the host's immune system is compromised. Rhoptry proteins are major virulence factors that enable to invade host cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInfection with Toxoplasma gondii triggers coagulation at the blood-brain barrier and a reduction in cerebral blood flow.
J Neuroinflammation
January 2025
Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, 92697, USA.
Background: Immunothrombosis is the process by which the coagulation cascade interacts with the innate immune system to control infection. However, the formation of clots within the brain vasculature can be detrimental to the host. Recent work has demonstrated that Toxoplasma gondii infects and lyses central nervous system (CNS) endothelial cells that form the blood-brain barrier (BBB).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFirst Description of the Role of the Relationship Between Serum Amyloid P Components and Nuclear Factors/Pro-Cytokines During Critical Periods of Toxoplasmic Encephalitis.
Brain Sci
December 2024
College of Life Science and Engineering, Foshan University, 18 Jiangwan Street, Foshan 528231, China.
(), an obligate food-borne intracellular parasite, causes severe neuropathology by establishing a persistent infection in the host brain. We have previously shown that infection induces severe neuropathology in the brain manifested by increased nitric oxide production, oxidative stress, glial activation/BBB damage, increased pro-inflammatory cytokine glia maturation factor-beta and induced apoptosis. The aim of this experimental study was to investigate the serum amyloid P (SAP) components, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), caspase 1 (Casp 1), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and complement 3 (C3) gene expressions on the 10th, 20th and 30th days after infection with in the neuroimmunopathogenesis of toxoplasmic encephalitis (TE) in mouse brains by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDiscovery of potent anti-toxoplasmosis drugs from secondary metabolites in Citrus limon (lemon) leaves, supported in-silico study.
Sci Rep
January 2025
Department of Zoonotic Diseases, National Research Centre, Dokki, Giza, 12622, Egypt.
Toxoplasmosis induced by Toxoplasma gondii is a well-known health threat, that prompts fatal encephalitis increased with immunocompromised patients, in addition, it can cause chorioretinitis, microcephaly, stillbirth in the fetus and even led to death. Standard therapy uses sulfadiazine and pyrimethamine drugs revealed beneficial results during the acute stage, however, it has severe side effects. UPLC-ESI-MS/MS used to explore C.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDeficiencies of Inducible Costimulator (ICOS) During Chronic Infection with Upregulate the CD28-Dependent Cytotoxicity of CD8 T Cells and Their Effector Function Against Tissue Cysts of the Parasite.
Cells
December 2024
Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA.
We recently identified that the cerebral mRNA expression of inducible costimulator (ICOS) and its ligand, ICOSL, both significantly increase during the elimination of cysts from the brains of infected mice by the perforin-mediated cytotoxic activity of CD8 T cells. In the present study, we examined the role of ICOS in activating the effector activity of CD8 T cells in response to the presence of cysts in infected mice. Following the adoptive transfer of splenic CD8 T cells from chronically infected ICOS-deficient (ICOS) and wild-type (WT) mice to infected SCID mice, fewer CD8 T cells were detected in the brains of the recipients of ICOS CD8 T cells than the recipients of WT CD8 T cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!