TOXOPLASMOSIS

Toxoplasma Gondii

Jenny Joseph, Ethan Edwards, Clarissa Horton & Jessica Rubinstein

Lab Section: 25
4/18/18

JR
 Organism that causes Toxoplasmosis
(5)

Infected from Toxoplasma Gondii parasite (1)

One of the most common parasites

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 Prevalence
(4)
!5,000 cases reported each
year in the United States (2)

Thought that the actual number of

cases is closer to 225,00 a year (2)

50% of the cases are from foodborne

transmission (2)

15-40% of cats are infected (2)

Most cases in countries where meat is

a big part of diet (2)

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Symptoms
● Headache (3)
● Swollen Lymph Nodes (3)
● Fever (3)
● Body Aches (3) (1a)
● Fatigue (3)
○ Symptoms Vary in certain cases such as
■ In babies (3)
■ Elderly (3)
■ People with compromised or weakened
immune systems (3)

(1b)
EE
 History
Discovery:
(2c)
● Discovered in rodents in 1908 (4)
● Noticed as an infantile congenital disease in 1932 (4)
● Identified as a potentially fatal disease in 1968 (4)

Outbreaks
(2b)
● In october 1976 there was a widespread outbreak caused by a
family and their cat (4)

Medical Treatment

● Most get well without treatment however Pyrimethamine and

Sulfadiazine or Folinic Acid (4)
(2a) EE
 Diagnosis
Can be hard to detect (5)

May be seen through PCR (5)

Amniotic Fluid Sample (5)

(7)

(6) JR
 Transmission
Happens from one of the following :

Foodborne transmission (6)

Animal-to-human (zoonotic) transmission (6)

Mother-to-child (congenital) transmission (6)

Sometimes passed from organ transplants or blood transfusion (6)

Not passed from person to person (6)

T. Gondii can complete its life-cycle in the intestines of a cat (7)

Cats are a definitive host (7)

All warm-blooded animals act as intermediate hosts (7)

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Life Cycle of Disease Causing Organism
1. Oocysts are shed in the cat feces. Normally takes 1-5
days after being shed to infect a host
2. After being ingested, the parasite infects in tissues
3. Oocysts slowly continue to develop after planting itself in
the tissue.
4. After consuming an infected host or directly consuming
cyst, cats become infected.
5. Animals made for human consumption can be infected
through the environment
WAYS SOMEONE COULD GET INFECTED
1. If undercooked meat is eaten (if animal is contaminated)
2. Changing a cat’s litter box
3. Organ Transplant or Blood Transfusion
4. Mother to Fetus
5. In the human, parasites form cysts on tissue mostly in
skeletal muscle and will stay throughout the life of the
host
6. Diagnosed as a congenital infection which is found in
the amniotic fluid of DNA through PCR

**All information found for this page is from source 8 including the image

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Prognosis of Disease
For pregnant women, if infected during
the first semester, child dies within first
few years of life or suffers from
handicaps (9)

Low death rate in adults because

immune system is stronger (9)

If treatment is stopped, relapse can occur

(9)

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 Prevention

Cook meat all the way (9)

Wash hands and surfaces after contact with raw meat

and unwashed fruits and veggies (9)

Keep house cats indoors so they do not interact with

wild rodents (9)

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 Treatment
(8)

Anti-parasite drugs help treat congenital toxoplasmosis (10)

Should be treated for at least an entire year (10)

Most people do not need treatment (10)

Antibiotic (Spiramycin) is prescribed for pregnant women (10)

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 Influences
Economic - The estimated annual impact in the United States is $7.7 billion (11)

Environmental- The increase of extreme weather conditions (12)

Amount of rainfall, global warming, urbanization, deforestation (12)

Political- Standards for animal welfare (12)

Local- mainly in countries other than America (12)

JR
Citations Page
References
1.https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/diseases/toxoplasmosis.html
2.https://wormsandgermsblog.lexblogplatformtwo.com/files/2008/04/M3-Toxoplasma-PHP.pdf
3.https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/toxoplasmosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20356249
4.https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/toxoplasmosis/gen_info/faqs.html
5. http://www.cfsph.iastate.edu/Factsheets/pdfs/toxoplasmosis.pdf
6.https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/toxoplasmosis/epi.html
7..https://www.coursera.org/learn/parasitology/lecture/xEpCr/toxoplasmosis-vectors-transmission-dr-
mramba-nyindo
8.. https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/toxoplasmosis/biology.html
9. https://www.drgreene.com/articles/toxoplasmosis/
10.https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/toxoplasmosis/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20356255
11. https://academic.oup.com/aje/article/154/4/357/62015
12. https://parasitesandvectors.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13071-016-1432-6
Images
1a.https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Health/aftercareinformation/pages/
conditions.aspx?hwid=zx4008
1b. https://www.davidwolfe.com/7-types-headaches-causes/
2a. https://openclipart.org/detail/17683/cartoon-cat
2b. http://pinnaclemontessori.com/keller/infants/
2c.https://www.1001freedownloads.com/free-clipart/cartoon-
mouse-2
3a.https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/illustration/collection-of-
cartoon-raw-meat-illustrations-royalty-free-illustration/165789538
3b.http://mousebreath.com/the-future-of-cat-litter-is-here-spons/
3c. http://www.yim778.com/group/pregnant-cartoon/
4. http://slideplayer.com/slide/5711954/
5. https://rtfitchauthor.com/tag/toxoplasma-gondii/
6.http://www.gestationaldiabetics.com/how-to-detect-low-
amniotic-fluid-levels-during-pregnancy/
7. http://www.fenw.org/img/fb/pcr.htm
8.https://www.deccanchronicle.com/lifestyle/health-and-
wellbeing/160417/prolonged-antibiotics-use-may-cause-
cancer.html