An Outbreak of Toxoplasmosis Linked to Cats

Abstract

Clinical, serologic, and epidermiologic evidence documents an outbreak of toxoplasmosis involving ten of 30 members of an extended family. The index patient had unusual clinical manifestations including brain abscesses, progressive chorioretinitis, seizures, neurologic deficits, hepatosplenomegaly, pneumonitis, and eosinophilia. Toxoplasmosis was confirmed by demonstrating the organism in brain tissue and cerebrospinal fluids; clinical and serologic evidence also indicated infection with Toxocara (viscd children. Of the 11 such children, seven (68%) were seropositive, six of whom had high acute-phase titers (greater than or equal to 1024) to Toxoplasma and a disease consistent with acute toxoplasmosis. All six of the latter group required specific chemotherapy. Geophagia was associated statistically with acute toxoplasmosis among the children; it also increased the risk of infection with Toxocara and enteroparasites. Two school-aged children and two adults had serologic evidence of acute toxoplasmosis, but only one of the group was symptomatic. Epidemiologic evidence indicates that this outbreak was probably caused by ingesting oocysts from cat feces. We suggest that the severe and unusual clinical manifestations of the index patient resulted from simultaneous infection with Toxoplasma and Toxocara.