Toxoplasma infection (parasitic infection)

General or Other | General Practice | Toxoplasma infection (parasitic infection) (Disease)


Description

Toxoplasmosis is a common infection of birds and mammals, including humans. It is produced by a small parasite called Toxoplasma gondii. A person who had toxoplasmosis and cured, can not be infected later. For most people toxoplasmosis is not dangerous and heal itself. If the infection is acquired by the mother during pregnancy and is transmitted to the fetus, cause brain damage and blindness. Only a small percentage of pregnant women who are infected transmit infection to her fetus. It is important that pregnant women or who wishes to become pregnant be tested to know if it was infected with Toxoplasma gondii and if there was to be trained on how to avoid infection.

Most of the people have no symptoms. A small percentage of patients have mild flu-like symptoms that can last several months. So often a person does not know whether he or she has or not toxoplasmosis.

Causes and Risk factors

Toxoplasmosis is caused by a tiny parasite that causes infection in animals and mammals, including humans. Cats are the only carriers of the parasite living.

When a cat is infected fecal material they contain eggs of Toxoplasma gondii for a period of about 2 weeks. These eggs can survive up to 18 months in wet soil. The eggs can contaminate soil and plants. Cats are never home and I catch mice can be infected with Toxoplasma gondii. Toxoplasmosis can occur in humans through water or food contaminated with feces of pisicilor. Cele most common modes of transmission are: Ingestion of eggs: one person can be infected by fecal-oral, by touching any object that came in contact with infected cat feces, it can happen when sand is clean bowl of cat or after gardening in places where an infected cat has defecated, transmission can be achieved through contaminated food such as unwashed vegetables or through dirty hands; Infected meat-eating parasite can infest human intestines.

Diagnosis and Treatment

The patient in the emergency department should be presenting manifestations of the disease. Adequate airway, breathing, and circulation must be assessed and treated accordingly. Adequate fluid resuscitation, pain control, and fever control must be ensured.

Because the symptoms associated with acute toxoplasmosis are nonspecific and dependent on the tissues involved, emergency providers must be vigilant and include other infectious and noninfectious etiologies in their differential diagnoses. As such, broad-spectrum antimicrobial therapy is often necessary early in the course of illness, prior to the performance of definitive testing and while the diagnosis may still be uncertain.

Most healthy people dont require toxoplasmosis treatment. But if youre otherwise healthy and have signs and symptoms of acute toxoplasmosis, your doctor may prescribe the following drugs: pyrimethamine, sulfadiazine. ...