Abstract:
Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic infection caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii. This parasite is found worldwide, with the possible exception of Antarctica, and is capable of invading and replicating within almost all mammalian cell types. It is estimated that approximately 25 to 35% of the world’s human population is infected with Toxoplasma. The clinical manifestations vary according to the host’s immune status.
In immunocompetent individuals, infection with T. gondii is typically asymptomatic. Acute infection is usually benign and self-limiting, and symptoms resolve within a few weeks to months without the need for anti-parasitic medication. However, T. gondii is an intracellular parasite that has successfully developed strategies to evade or manipulate the host’s immune response, forming tissue cysts in almost any tissue, although most commonly in the central nervous system, retina, myocardium, and muscle. As a result, T. gondii can survive throughout the host’s life as a latent long-term infection and potentially reactivate, usually in the brain or eye, if the host becomes immunocompromised. In recent years, similar patterns of disease have also been documented in immunocompetent children.
The aim of this presentation is to review the diseases associated with T. gondii infection in immunocompetent children, as reported in the literature over the past decade.
Biography:
Dr. med. Tania Hunziker is a Paediatrician with a degree from the University of Cartagena, Columbia. She is dedicated to clinical practice and research, especially in the field zoonotic diseases. She is an active member of the review board of the Global Journal of Pediatrics and works in the medical care Espace Health Gesundheitszentren, Huttwil, Switzerland.
