Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 21, 2026

09:56
Toxoplasma gondii Cyst Wall Formation in Activated Bone Marrow-derived Macrophages and Bradyzoite Conditions
Published on: August 12, 2010
[Toxoplasmosis after immunosuppressive therapy--our experience]
Z Rusináková1, L Raida, E Faber
1Hemato-onkologická klinika Fakultní nemocnice, University Palackého Olomouc, Czech Republic. zuzana.rusinakova@fnol.cz
Klinicka Mikrobiologie a Infekcni Lekarstvi
|July 29, 2009
Summary
Toxoplasmosis poses a significant risk to immunocompromised patients, particularly after stem cell transplantation. Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial for survival, despite diagnostic challenges.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Hematology
- Immunology
Background:
- Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic infection with severe outcomes in immunocompromised individuals.
- It presents risks for patients with prolonged lymphopenia or on immunosuppressive therapy.
Observation:
- Three cases of toxoplasmosis were observed post-allogeneic HSCT (2.6%) and one post-autologous HSCT (0.3%).
- Clinical manifestations included neurological deficits, cerebral salt-wasting syndrome, and respiratory infections.
Findings:
- Diagnosis combined clinical symptoms with PCR and CT scan results.
- Treatment involved pyrimethamine, clindamycin, co-trimoxazole, and folic acid.
- Three out of four patients survived; one died before treatment initiation.
Implications:
- Increased use of potent immunosuppressive agents heightens toxoplasmosis risk post-HSCT.
- Variable presentation and diagnostic hurdles necessitate improved detection strategies.
- Prompt diagnosis and treatment are vital for improving patient outcomes in HSCT recipients.
Related Concept Videos
Toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasmosis, a zoonotic disease caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, poses significant public health challenges globally due to its high seroprevalence and varied clinical manifestations. As an obligate intracellular parasite, T. gondii can infect all warm-blooded vertebrates, but felids are its only definitive hosts, shedding unsporulated oocysts into the environment. Humans typically acquire the infection through ingestion of tissue cysts in undercooked meat or oocysts from...
Pulmonary Tuberculosis I
Tuberculosis, often called TB, is a contagious illness primarily caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It mainly affects the lung parenchyma but can also impact other body parts.
Causative Organism
The primary infectious agent causing tuberculosis is Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a slow-growing, acid-fast, aerobic rod that exhibits sensitivity to heat and ultraviolet light. Instances of Mycobacterium bovis and Mycobacterium avium contributing to the development of TB infection are rare.
Mode of...
Causative Organism
The primary infectious agent causing tuberculosis is Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a slow-growing, acid-fast, aerobic rod that exhibits sensitivity to heat and ultraviolet light. Instances of Mycobacterium bovis and Mycobacterium avium contributing to the development of TB infection are rare.
Mode of...
Cryptococcal Meningitis
Cryptococcal meningitis is a life-threatening opportunistic infection predominantly associated with HIV/AIDS, accounting for over 100,000 deaths annually worldwide. However, it also affects individuals with other forms of immunosuppression, including those undergoing immunosuppressive therapy, organ transplant recipients, patients with innate immunodeficiencies, and individuals with hematological disorders. The infection is caused mainly by Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii,...
Immunodeficiency Diseases
Immunodeficiency disorders are conditions in which the immune system's ability to fight infectious disease and cancer is compromised or entirely absent. The immune system comprises a complex network of cells, tissues, and organs that work together to protect the body from potentially harmful invaders. When this system is deficient or not functioning properly, it leaves the body susceptible to infections, diseases, or other complications.
There are three main causes of immunodeficiency disorders...
There are three main causes of immunodeficiency disorders...
Cytomegalovirus Disease
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease is caused by human cytomegalovirus, a double-stranded DNA virus of the Herpesviridae family. While primary CMV infection is often asymptomatic in immunocompetent individuals, the virus can cause severe disease in neonates and immunocompromised patients. CMV is the most common cause of congenital viral infection in the United States, and a major pathogen in solid organ and hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients.CMV is transmitted via bodily fluids, sexual...
American Trypanosomiasis
Chagas disease, or American trypanosomiasis, is a vector-borne parasitic infection caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, a flagellated protozoan (kinetoplastid) of the family Trypanosomatidae. The disease is endemic in Latin America, although cases are increasingly reported worldwide due to human migration. Transmission most commonly occurs when feces of infected triatomine bugs contaminate bite wounds or mucosal surfaces; additional routes include congenital, transfusional, transplant-related, and oral...
