Clinical Manual for Management of the HIV-Infected ... - myCME.com

Toxoplasmosis
Background
Toxoplasma gondii is a common intracellular protozoan
that preferentially infects the central nervous system
(CNS) of immunodeficient patients, causing severe
neurologic disease. T gondii also can cause local disease
such as chorioretinitis or pneumonia. Toxoplasma has
an infectious reservoir in almost all animals; humans
acquire infection either through ingestion of tissue
cysts contained in undercooked meat (usually pork or
lamb) or oocysts on contaminated vegetables or through
exposure to cat feces containing oocysts. There is no
transmission by person-to-person contact.
Clinical disease usually occurs through reactivation
of latent infection in patients who have CD4 counts
of