Prevalence Of Ocular Toxoplasmosis Research Articles

Decline in Ocular Toxoplasmosis over 40 Years at a Tertiary Referral Practice in the United States

ABSTRACTPurpose: To identify whether there has been a decline in ocular toxoplasmosis at a tertiary uveitis practice.Methods: Retrospective review of new patients at the University of Illinois Uveitis Service from 1973 to 2012.Results: There were 6820 patients with adequate records for inclusion; 323 (4.7%) were diagnosed with ocular toxoplasmosis. There was a 78.0% decline in prevalence of ocular toxoplasmosis from 2008 to 2012 compared with 1973 to 1977. Compared with the aggregate uveitis population, toxoplasmosis patients were more likely to be Hispanic (p<0.0001) and less likely to be African American (p<0.0001). Ocular toxoplasmosis in Hispanics commonly occurred in foreign-born patients (85.3%).Conclusions: The diagnosis of ocular toxoplasmosis at our clinic declined, with Hispanics accounting for an increasing proportion of cases. These trends are consistent with the decreasing toxoplasmosis seropositivity in the United States, but may also reflect decreased referrals due to improved management of ocular toxoplasmosis in primary clinics.

Epidemiology of Ocular Toxoplasmosis in Three Community Surveys in the Central Region of Ghana, West Africa

ABSTRACTPurpose: To conduct the first ever population-based survey on ocular toxoplasmosis in the Central Region of Ghana.Methods: A cross-sectional population-based study was conducted in three randomly selected communities in the Central Region, Ghana. Visual acuity (VA) measurement, dilated fundus examination by indirect ophthalmoscopy and serology testing were performed on all participants. Ocular toxoplasmosis was diagnosed based on characteristic retinal lesions and supported by positive serologic testing using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits.Results: A total of 390 subjects aged 10–100 years (mean age 47 years) were examined; 118 (30.3%) were male and 272 (69.7%) female. Ten subjects (6 females and 4 males) had toxoplasmic ocular lesions (prevalence 2.6%). Of these, two had bilateral lesions and eight had unilateral lesions. Subjects with toxoplasmic ocular lesions were older than those without lesions (p = 0.028). The development of ocular toxoplasmosis was not associated with rural dwelling, sex, keeping cats, or consumption of meat.Conclusion: The prevalence of ocular toxoplasmosis in our Ghanaian study population was lower than findings from Southern Brazil, where there is a similar prevalence of infection in the general population.

Presumed Ocular Toxoplasmosis In University Of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Uyo, Nigeria

Background:Ocular toxoplasmosis is the commonest cause of infectious posterior uveitis the world over.. Ocular symptoms may present years after the systemic infection and the outcome depends on the interaction of many factors. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of presumed ocular toxoplasmosis amongst patients attending the eye clinic of a tertiary hospital. Materials and Methods:This was a retrospective study of 30 patients seen in the eye clinic of University of Uyo Teaching Hospital between January 2009 and December 2011. Demographic information, presenting and final visual acuity, presenting complaints, ocular findings and drug treatment were extracted from the clinical notes, and the data obtained was analyzed. Results: A total of 30 (0.28%) patients out of 10,595consecutive patients seen in the UUTH eye clinic. More women were affected (56.7%) than men (43.3%). The most affected age group was (41-50) years. The commonest complaint was diminution of vision. Final visual acuity was closely related to the site of the lesion on the retina. Conclusion: The prevalence of ocular toxoplasmosis (0.28%) was lower than that observed in other parts of the country. There is need to investigate the seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in the general population, particularly in those at risk.

Ocular toxoplasmosis I: parasitology, epidemiology and public health

Ocular toxoplasmosis results from retinal infection with the protozoan, Toxoplasma gondii. This parasite, which exists as multiple clonal subpopulations and in three stages, is capable of replication in any nucleated cell of its primary feline or multiple paratenic hosts. Human seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis is high across the globe, but with geographic variation. While prevalence of ocular toxoplasmosis is not well documented, toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis is the commonest form of posterior uveitis in many countries. Correlation of parasite genotype with disease is an important area of new research. Ocular infection with T. gondii often follows ingestion of bradyzoites in undercooked infected meat. Oocysts may survive for an extended period in the environment, and water contaminated with oocysts is an important source in toxoplasmosis epidemics. Ocular toxoplasmosis is preventable by a combination of community activities and personal measures. Public health action is well justified by the considerable burden of congenital and postnatal infections.

Recently AcquiredToxoplasma gondiiInfection, Brazil

The city of Erechim, Brazil, has a 17% prevalence of ocular toxoplasmosis, and type 1 Toxoplasma gondii predominates. To examine risk factors for acute T. gondii infection in this area, we administered a questionnaire to recently infected persons (n = 131) and seronegative controls (n = 110). Eating undercooked meat; having a garden; working in the garden or yard more than once per week; eating rare meat; eating cured, dried, or smoked meat; eating frozen lamb; and being male increased risk for T. gondii infection in univariate analysis. Risk factors independently associated with acute T. gondii infection in multivariate analysis were working in the garden (odds ratio [OR] 2.35, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.27-4.33) and eating frozen lamb (OR 2.06, 95% CI 1.15-3.67). Among women (n = 86), having had children markedly increased the risk for T. gondii infection (OR 14.94, 95% CI 3.68-60.73).

An Unusually High Prevalence of Ocular Toxoplasmosis in Southern Brazil

Because of the frequency of ocular toxoplasmosis and its occurrence in multiple siblings in southern Brazil, a population-based household survey was performed to better understand the epidemiologic characteristics of the disease in this region. Of 1,042 individuals examined, 184 (17.7%) were deemed to have ocular toxoplasmosis on the basis of conservative assessment of ophthalmic findings. Of those with ocular toxoplasmosis, 183 (99.5%) had specific IgG antibodies, compared with only 140 of 181 age-matched control subjects (77.4%; P less than .001). The prevalence of ocular toxoplasmosis was 0.9% in 1- to 8-year-olds, 4.3% in 9- to 12-year-olds, 14.3% in 13- to 16-year-olds, and 21.3% (95% confidence interval, 18.6% to 24.2%) in all individuals 13 years or older. The prevalence of ocular toxoplasmosis in this population was more than 30 times higher than previous estimates for the same condition elsewhere. The low prevalence in the young children we studied supplements previous data suggesting that, in this population, ocular toxoplasmosis is a sequela of postnatal rather than congenital infection.