Joint International Conference on Long-term Experiments ...

Fig. No.3 – Acute
Toxoplasmic Endometritis
Fig. No.4 − Chronic
Toxoplasmic Endometritis
3./ Clinical manifestations of toxoplasmosis in the immuno-depressed patients
The production mechanisms are the same as in immunocompetents: acute infection with
all its consequences and the reactivation of chronic infection, in the latter the
appearance rate of chronic forms of disease being much higher than in
immunocompetents.
The categories of patients exposed to the infection due to a higher or lower degree
of immunodepression are: homosexuals, users of intravenous drugs, patients with
chronic diseases, diabetics, alcoholics, and patients treated with immunosuppressing
agents (neoplasm, lymphoma, leukemia, collagenosis, organ transplant).
HIV infected patients are the category with maximum risk of toxoplasmosis with
fulminant and severe evolution, neurological, pulmonary, ocular affection, sometimes
with infectious shock.
Cerebral toxoplasmosis may evolve with diffuse encephalopathy,
meningoencephalitis with disorders of the conscience state, headache, convulsions,
focal neurological lesions or myelopathy with motor and/or sensorial disorders of limbs,
urinary bladder and intestine. Chorioretinitis is usually concomitant with CNS
infection.
Pulmonary affection comprises severe interstitial pneumonia with acute
respiratory insufficiency and decease in case of unrecognized etiology or absence of
specific treatment.
Toxoplasmic myocarditis is manifested with cardiac rhythm disorders, cardiac
failure, at times in association with hemorrhagic pericarditis which poses great problems
of differential diagnosis.
Immunodepressed persons may develop less common clinical manifestations:
panpituitarism, insipid diabetes, inadequate secretion of antidiuretic hormone, orchitis,
gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal and hepatic affection, chronic endometritis and
secondary sterility.
4./ Clinical aspects of congenital toxoplasmosis
Vertical transmission of toxoplasmic infection from the mother with acute infection or
chronic acutized toxoplasmosis, generate a severe disease of the embryo or fetus,
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