This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Carme, B. Articles by Dardé, M. L. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Carme, B. Articles by Dardé, M. L.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, November 2002, p. 4037-4044, Vol. 40, No. 11
0095-1137/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JCM.40.11.4037-4044.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Severe Acquired Toxoplasmosis in Immunocompetent Adult Patients in French Guiana

Parasitologie-Mycologie, EA 3593 UFR de Médecine (Université Antilles Guyane) et Centre Hospitalier de Cayenne,¹ Service de Médecine B, Centre Hospitalier de Cayenne, F 97306 Cayenne,⁴ Service de Médecine,² Laboratoire de Biologie, Centre Hospitalier de Saint Laurent du Maroni, Saint Laurent du Maroni, French Guiana,⁵ Laboratoire de Parasitologie, EA 3174 UFR Médecine, Limoges, France³

Received 2 May 2002/ Returned for modification 17 June 2002/ Accepted 31 July 2002

The most common presentation of symptomatic postnatally acquired toxoplasmosis in immunocompetent patients is painless cervical adenopathy. Acute visceral manifestations are associated in rare cases. We report 16 cases of severe primary toxoplasmosis diagnosed in French Guiana during a 6.5-year period. All of the subjects were immunocompetent adults hospitalized with clinical presentations consisting of a marked, nonspecific infectious syndrome accompanied by an altered general status with at least one visceral localization, mainly pulmonary involvement (14 cases). Acute toxoplasmosis was diagnosed according to the results of serological tests suggestive of recent primary infection and the absence of an alternative etiology. Recovery was rapid following specific antitoxoplasmosis treatment. Thirteen of the 16 patients had consumed game in the 2 weeks before the onset of the symptoms, and in eight cases the game was considered to have been undercooked. Toxoplasma strains, which were virulent in mice, were isolated from three patients. Microsatellite analysis showed that all of these isolates exhibited an atypical multilocus genotype, with one allele found only for isolates of this region.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Sousa, S., Ajzenberg, D., Vilanova, M., Costa, J., Darde, M.-L. (2008). Use of GRA6-Derived Synthetic Polymorphic Peptides in an Immunoenzymatic Assay To Serotype Toxoplasma gondii in Human Serum Samples Collected from Three Continents. CVI 15: 1380-1386 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Hochedez, P., Canestri, A., Guihot, A., Brichler, S., Bricaire, F., Caumes, E. (2008). Management of Travelers with Fever and Exanthema, Notably Dengue and Chikungunya Infections. Am J Trop Med Hyg 78: 710-713 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Demar, M., Ajzenberg, D., Serrurier, B., Darde, M. L., Carme, B. (2008). Atypical Toxoplasma gondii Strain from a Free-living Jaguar (Panthera onca) in French Guiana. Am J Trop Med Hyg 78: 195-197 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Khan, A., Fux, B., Su, C., Dubey, J. P., Darde, M. L., Ajioka, J. W., Rosenthal, B. M., Sibley, L. D. (2007). Recent transcontinental sweep of Toxoplasma gondii driven by a single monomorphic chromosome. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 104: 14872-14877 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Genot, S., Franck, J., Forel, J.-M., Rebaudet, S., Ajzenberg, D., de Paula, A. M., Darde, M.-L., Stein, A., Ranque, S. (2007). Severe Toxoplasma gondii I/III Recombinant-Genotype Encephalitis in a Human Immunodeficiency Virus Patient. J. Clin. Microbiol. 45: 3138-3140 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Laibe, S., Ranque, S., Curtillet, C., Faraut, F., Dumon, H., Franck, J. (2006). Timely Diagnosis of Disseminated Toxoplasmosis by Sputum Examination. J. Clin. Microbiol. 44: 646-648 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Ajzenberg, D., Dumetre, A., Darde, M.-L. (2005). Multiplex PCR for Typing Strains of Toxoplasma gondii. J. Clin. Microbiol. 43: 1940-1943 [Abstract] [Full Text]