toxoplasmoosin

Toxoplasmoosin is not a recognized disease name in standard medical literature. The term is likely a misspelling or informal reference to toxoplasmosis, the illness caused by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii.

Toxoplasma gondii is a widespread parasite that can infect most warm-blooded animals, with domestic cats acting as the definitive hosts. Humans can acquire infection through several routes: by eating undercooked or raw meat containing tissue cysts, by ingesting food or water contaminated with cat feces that contain oocysts, and via vertical transmission from an infected mother to her fetus. Less common routes include organ or blood transfusion and, rarely, laboratory exposure.

Most infections in healthy individuals are asymptomatic. When symptoms occur, they are typically mild and resemble a flu-like illness with lymphadenopathy. In people with weakened immune systems, toxoplasmosis can cause severe disease, including encephalitis, seizures, and disseminated infections affecting multiple organs. Congenital infection can lead to hydrocephalus, intracranial calcifications, chorioretinitis, and vision problems.

Diagnosis relies on serology showing T. gondii–specific antibodies (IgG and IgM), sometimes with IgG avidity testing. In cases of suspected congenital infection or CNS disease, PCR testing of amniotic fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, or tissue samples may be used, along with neuroimaging findings.

Treatment typically involves a combination of pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine with leucovorin; alternative regimens include trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole. In pregnancy, spiramycin may be used to reduce fetal transmission early on, with a switch to pyrimethamine–sulfadiazine if fetal infection is suspected or confirmed.

Prevention focuses on food safety (thorough cooking of meat, washing produce), good hand hygiene after handling raw meat or soil, avoiding contact with cat litter during pregnancy, and public health measures in areas with higher prevalence.