Abstracts
Toxoplasmic encephalitis (TE) is a mayor cause of central nervous system infection in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Toxoplasma antibodies were detected in 56 of 79 patients with AIDS (71%), in the present study. Fourteen out of 57 seropositive patients developed TF (25%) and had Toxoplasma gondii antigen detected in their urine. For this, most of them received an effective therapy, with the subsequent disappearance of the symptoms and discontinuity of excretion of the T. gondii antigens. Our results suggest that the monitoring of T. gondii antigen in the urine of AIDS patients may be useful to decide on the proper time for therapy, as well as to avoid the beginning of neurologic signs in these patients.
T. gondii; toxoplasmic encephalitis; AIDS
La Encefalitis Toxoplásmica (ET) es la más importante complicación infecciosa del Sistema Nervioso Central en pacientes de SIDA. Anticuerpos anti-Toxoplasma gondii fueron detectados en 57 de 79 pacientes de SIDA (71%). De estos seropositivos, desarrollaron la enfermedad (ET) 14 (25%), en los que coincidentemente se detectó la presencia de antígeno del parásito en orina y por tanto fueron objeto de una terapia efectiva, con la subsecuente desaparición de los sintomas y de los antígenos excretados. Por los resultados del presente trabajo, consideramos lo útil de monitorear en estos pacientes la presencia de antígenos de T. gondii con el objetivo de aplicar oportunamente métodos quimoprofilácticos que eviten el surgimiento de manifestaciones neurológicas en estos pacientes.
IMMUNOLOGY
Usefulness of the detection of Toxoplasma gondii antigens in AIDS patients
Utilidad de la detección de antígenos de Toxoplasma gondii en pacientes con SIDA
Alberto Fachado; Luis Fonte; Esteban Alberti; Pablo Hadad; Lisset Fonseca; Rodolfo Machin; Carlos Finlay
Department of Parasitology, Institute of Tropical Medicine "Pedro Kouri", Havana City, Cuba
Correspondence to Correspondence to: Lic. Alberto Fachado Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Medicina Tropical "Pedro Kouri" Autopista Novia del Mediodia Km 6 e/ Autopista Nacional y Carretera Central (N/251) Lisa-Habana-Cuba
SUMMARY
Toxoplasmic encephalitis (TE) is a mayor cause of central nervous system infection in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Toxoplasma antibodies were detected in 56 of 79 patients with AIDS (71%), in the present study. Fourteen out of 57 seropositive patients developed TF (25%) and had Toxoplasma gondii antigen detected in their urine. For this, most of them received an effective therapy, with the subsequent disappearance of the symptoms and discontinuity of excretion of the T. gondii antigens.
Our results suggest that the monitoring of T. gondii antigen in the urine of AIDS patients may be useful to decide on the proper time for therapy, as well as to avoid the beginning of neurologic signs in these patients.
Keywords:T. gondii; toxoplasmic encephalitis; AIDS.
RESUMEN
La Encefalitis Toxoplásmica (ET) es la más importante complicación infecciosa del Sistema Nervioso Central en pacientes de SIDA. Anticuerpos anti-Toxoplasma gondii fueron detectados en 57 de 79 pacientes de SIDA (71%). De estos seropositivos, desarrollaron la enfermedad (ET) 14 (25%), en los que coincidentemente se detectó la presencia de antígeno del parásito en orina y por tanto fueron objeto de una terapia efectiva, con la subsecuente desaparición de los sintomas y de los antígenos excretados. Por los resultados del presente trabajo, consideramos lo útil de monitorear en estos pacientes la presencia de antígenos de T. gondii con el objetivo de aplicar oportunamente métodos quimoprofilácticos que eviten el surgimiento de manifestaciones neurológicas en estos pacientes.
Full text available only in PDF format.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to thank doctors Rafael Martínez, Imirse Fraga and Carlos Millán for their valuable professional support for the realization of this paper.
Recebido para publicação em 14/06/1993.
Aceito para publicação em 19/08/1994.
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Publication Dates
-
Publication in this collection
05 July 2006 -
Date of issue
Dec 1994
History
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Accepted
19 Aug 1994 -
Received
14 June 1993