A case of disseminated toxoplasmosis—value of PCR for the diagnosis

Abstract

Extracerebral toxoplasmosis has recently gained greater attention as a consequence of the AIDS epidemic. Serological techniques are unreliable, while isolation of the parasite is either time-consuming or insensitive. We here report a case of disseminated toxoplasmosis in a patient with AIDS. Diagnosis was suggested by serological tests and confirmed by PCR and Southern blot hybridisation or nested PCR. Detection of specific DNA was feasible in bronchoalveolar fluid, blood, serum and tissue samples. Direct detection of parasite-specific DNA by PCR and by nested PCR proved to be a promising, sensitive and rapid method for the diagnosis of disseminated toxoplasmosis, enabling us to promptly initiate specific treatment.