Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsFrequent SymptomsCongenital SymptomsComplications With HIVWhen to See a DoctorFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Frequent Symptoms
Congenital Symptoms
Complications With HIV
When to See a Doctor
Frequently Asked Questions
Toxoplasmosisis not a disease we hear all that much about, but one that will affect nearly one of every 10 Americans at some point in their lives. Symptoms of toxoplasmosis tend to be mild and may include muscle pain, fever, fatigue, headache, and swollen lymph nodes, sometimes lasting for weeks. However, in the vast majority of cases, there will be few, if any, obvious signs of infection.
Whether toxoplasmosis is passed from mother to fetus during pregnancy or occurs in people with advanced HIV,Toxoplasma gondii,the parasite thatcauses the disease, can reap severe damage to the brain, eyes, lungs, and other major organs. Within this population of people, if nottreated, toxoplasmosis can lead to severe physical and mental disability and even death.
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In people with normalimmune systems, up to 90 percent of cases of toxoplasmosis will be entirely asymptomatic (without symptoms). As such, most people will not even be aware that they’ve been infected.
If acute symptoms do appear, they will most often be mild and may include:
While symptoms rarely get worse, they can sometimes persist for weeks on end.
Moreover, because the symptoms are so non-specific, they can easily be mistaken for other illnesses, such asthe fluorinfectious mononucleosis.
Once an infection has occurred, the body’s immune defenses will gradually bring it under control. The disease will then move in a latent phase in which the parasite forms a cyst, known as abradyzoite, on different parts of the body (including the brain, heart, eyes, liver, and lungs). Unless the immune defenses arecompromised, the bradyzoites can remain in a dormant state for a lifetime.
The condition, known as congenital toxoplasmosis, affects as many as one of every 10,000 pregnancies in the United States,according to a reportfrom the American Academy of Pediatric’s Committee on Infectious Diseases.
While most cases are caused when a mother is newly infected during pregnancy, others may be the result of a reactivation of a past infection (most often in mothers with HIV).
Risk of Birth Defects
While the risk ofT. gondiitransmission tends to increase during the latter stages of pregnancy, the potential harm may be greatest during the early part of the first trimester. This is when the fetal stem cells are just starting to specialize and develop into cells of the brain, heart, and other organs.
Common Symptoms
Congenital toxoplasmosis can also increase the risk of miscarriage and stillbirth.
Infants with severe toxoplasmosis will usually have symptoms at birth or develop them within the first six months of life. Most of the symptoms will be related to a triad of complications commonly seen in severe cases, includinghydrocephalus(“water on the brain”),chorioretinitis(inflammation of the choroid and retina of the eye), and intracranial calcification (abnormal deposits of calcium in the brain due to the infection).
Symptoms can include:
Toxoplasmosis rarely affects people with intact immune systems. It is only when theimmune system is compromisedthat the more serious features of the disease can appear. While this can happen to organ recipients or people undergoing cancer treatment (both groups of whom are treated with immune suppressive drugs), the group most affected are those diagnosed withAIDS.
Toxoplasmic Encephalitis
AIDS is defined as the stage of HIV infection in which a person has less than 200CD4 T-cells(a type of white blood cell central to the immune defense).
The brain is, in fact, the organ most affected whenT. gondiireactivates. It is the site where bradyzoites not only proliferate but persist, often for the lifetime of the host. Without the immune defenses to protect itself, the brain and central nervous system can be severe and sometimes irreversibly harmed.
Symptoms of toxoplasmic encephalitis include:
Other Disease Complications
Reactivation in the lungs (pulmonary toxoplasmosis) can manifest with fever, shortness of breath (dyspnea), wheezing, chest tightness, and a non-productive cough.
If left untreated, toxoplasmosis in people with HIV will almost invariably lead to death.
Since most people will not know they have toxoplasmosis, they will unlikely seek care and, in most cases, really won’t need to.
If you are pregnant and suspect that you have recently been exposed to or infected with Toxoplasma, you should urgently undergo an evaluation to determine the need for treatment to prevent severe consequences for the unborn child.
Frequently Asked QuestionsAround 90% of cases are asymptomatic. If symptoms do appear, they are generally mild and may include headache, low-grade fever, fatigue,swollen lymph nodes, muscle aches, andmalaise(a general feeling of unwellness).The incubation period ofToxoplasma gondii(the parasite that causes toxoplasmosis) is anywhere from 5 to 23 days.Acute symptoms make take a few weeks to resolve, although lymph nodes can remain swollen for months. The infection can then enter a latent phase during whichT. gondiicysts embed themselves in certain tissues (like the lungs or retinas). In people with compromised immune systems, the latent infection can suddenly reactivate and cause disease months or years later.In most healthy people, theimmune systemcan keepT. gondiiin check. The same may not be true for people withadvanced HIV, in whom toxoplasmosis can cause severepneumonia,retinaldamage,encephalitis(brain inflammation), andsepsis-like symptoms as the infection spreads through the bloodstream.Toxoplasmosis can be passed from mother to child during pregnancy. Signs of congenital infection may be present at birth or develop months or years later. Common symptoms include:Low birth weightFeeding problemsTiny red spots on the skin (petechiae)Vision impairmentEnlarged liver or spleenHearing lossJaundice(yellowing of the skin or eyes)
Around 90% of cases are asymptomatic. If symptoms do appear, they are generally mild and may include headache, low-grade fever, fatigue,swollen lymph nodes, muscle aches, andmalaise(a general feeling of unwellness).
The incubation period ofToxoplasma gondii(the parasite that causes toxoplasmosis) is anywhere from 5 to 23 days.
Acute symptoms make take a few weeks to resolve, although lymph nodes can remain swollen for months. The infection can then enter a latent phase during whichT. gondiicysts embed themselves in certain tissues (like the lungs or retinas). In people with compromised immune systems, the latent infection can suddenly reactivate and cause disease months or years later.
In most healthy people, theimmune systemcan keepT. gondiiin check. The same may not be true for people withadvanced HIV, in whom toxoplasmosis can cause severepneumonia,retinaldamage,encephalitis(brain inflammation), andsepsis-like symptoms as the infection spreads through the bloodstream.
Toxoplasmosis can be passed from mother to child during pregnancy. Signs of congenital infection may be present at birth or develop months or years later. Common symptoms include:Low birth weightFeeding problemsTiny red spots on the skin (petechiae)Vision impairmentEnlarged liver or spleenHearing lossJaundice(yellowing of the skin or eyes)
Toxoplasmosis can be passed from mother to child during pregnancy. Signs of congenital infection may be present at birth or develop months or years later. Common symptoms include:
Toxoplasmosis Symptoms, Treatment, and Prevention
5 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Parasites - toxoplasmosis (Toxoplasma Infection).Straily A, Montgomery S, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Chapter 4 - travel-related infectious diseases: toxoplasmosis. In:Travelers Health.Madireddy S, Rivas Chacon ED, Mangat R.Toxoplasmosis. In:StatPearls [Internet].Basavaraju A.Toxoplasmosis in HIV infection: an overview.Trop Parasitol. 2016;6(2):129 doi:10.4103/2229-5070.190817Maldonado J, Read S.Diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of congenital toxoplasmosis in the United States.Pediatrics.2017; 139(2): e20163860. doi:10.1542/peds.2016-3860.
5 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Parasites - toxoplasmosis (Toxoplasma Infection).Straily A, Montgomery S, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Chapter 4 - travel-related infectious diseases: toxoplasmosis. In:Travelers Health.Madireddy S, Rivas Chacon ED, Mangat R.Toxoplasmosis. In:StatPearls [Internet].Basavaraju A.Toxoplasmosis in HIV infection: an overview.Trop Parasitol. 2016;6(2):129 doi:10.4103/2229-5070.190817Maldonado J, Read S.Diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of congenital toxoplasmosis in the United States.Pediatrics.2017; 139(2): e20163860. doi:10.1542/peds.2016-3860.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Parasites - toxoplasmosis (Toxoplasma Infection).Straily A, Montgomery S, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Chapter 4 - travel-related infectious diseases: toxoplasmosis. In:Travelers Health.Madireddy S, Rivas Chacon ED, Mangat R.Toxoplasmosis. In:StatPearls [Internet].Basavaraju A.Toxoplasmosis in HIV infection: an overview.Trop Parasitol. 2016;6(2):129 doi:10.4103/2229-5070.190817Maldonado J, Read S.Diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of congenital toxoplasmosis in the United States.Pediatrics.2017; 139(2): e20163860. doi:10.1542/peds.2016-3860.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Parasites - toxoplasmosis (Toxoplasma Infection).
Straily A, Montgomery S, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Chapter 4 - travel-related infectious diseases: toxoplasmosis. In:Travelers Health.
Madireddy S, Rivas Chacon ED, Mangat R.Toxoplasmosis. In:StatPearls [Internet].
Basavaraju A.Toxoplasmosis in HIV infection: an overview.Trop Parasitol. 2016;6(2):129 doi:10.4103/2229-5070.190817
Maldonado J, Read S.Diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of congenital toxoplasmosis in the United States.Pediatrics.2017; 139(2): e20163860. doi:10.1542/peds.2016-3860.
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