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ocular_toxoplasmosis [2015/06/12 04:44] – created adminocular_toxoplasmosis [2025/04/18 20:40] (current) – external edit 127.0.0.1
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 +====== Ocular Toxoplasmosis ======
 +  * Caused by Toxoplasma gondii
 +  * Obligate intracellular protozoan
 +  * 500 million have antibodies worldwide
 +  * 50% of adult population in US have asymptomatic infection
 +  * 28-55% of all cases of posterior uveitis
 +  * First isolated from the brain of a "gondii" (North African Rodent)
 +  * Cat family is definitive host, can infect other mammals and birds
 +  * Oocysts found in intestinal tracts of cats
 +  * Cysts ingested (most likely)
 +  * Poor hygiene, infected pork, chicken but probably not beef
 +  * Can survive outside host for up to 1 year
 +  * Two forms in humans: cysts or tachyzoites.
 +  * Propensity for cardiac and skeletal muscle and neural tissue (brain & eye)
  
 +==== Clinical Manifestations ====
 +=== Acquired vs. Congenital ===
 +  * Most cases are presumed reactivation of congenital infection
 +  * 2 to 6/1000 women acquire infection while pregnant, 40% risk of transmission to fetus.
 +  * Of infected infants: 70% chorioretinal scars, 5% will die or severe disability, 1-2% severe visual impairment
 +  * Northern Brazil has high rate of acquired disease
 +
 +=== Systemic ===
 +  * 90% lympadenopathy
 +  * fever, malaise, occasional sore throat
 +  * immunocompromised- fulminant CNS disease
 +
 +=== Ocular ===
 +  * Keratic Precipitates, anterior chamber cell and flare, posterior synechia, cataract
 +  * Retinochoroiditis
 +  * Vitritis- concentrated over lesion, scaffolding of vitreous strands
 +  * Macular edema
 +  * Retinal vasculitis
 +  * VF defect in area of scar
 +  * FFA of active lesion- early blockage and subsequent leakage
 +
 +=== Atypical Presentations ===
 +  * In early infection: gray-white fine punctate lesions in deep retina and RPE, progress to more classic lesions
 +  * Papillitis, vitreal inflammation, nerve fiber bundle defects
 +  * Bullous like inflammatory lesions in mid-periphery
 +  * Wide ring-like lesion near extreme periphery resembling pars planitis
 +  * Scleritis
 +=== Reasons for Vision Loss ===
 +  * Vitreal inflammation causing clouding
 +  * Lesion in posterior pole with edema affecting fovea
 +  * Lesion in fovea
 +  * Subsequent CNVM
 +
 +==== Diagnosis ====
 +  * Typical lesions
 +  * Toxoplasmosis titers are supportive
 +    * IgM titers- can be missed
 +    * IgG titers- high rate of false positives
 +  * Immunoflourescence, ELISA
 +  * Western blot for Toxo antigens
 +  * PCR and Southern Blot for Toxo DNA
 +  * Angiography: flourescein tagged Ab (successful in rabbit studies)
 +
 +==== Therapy ====
 +  * Should you treat it at all?
 +    * Lesion within temporal arcade
 +    * Lesion next to optic nerve or large vessel
 +    * Lesion has induced large degree of hemorrhage
 +    * Vision drop of > two lines
 +    * Multiple recurrences with vitreal contraction
 +  * No truly randomized, controlled clinical trials to compare efficacy
 +  * Generally 4-6 weeks, multi-drug regimens
 +
 +==== Medications ====
 +  * Sulfadiazine 1g PO QID
 +  * Pyrimethamine 75-100mg load and 25-50mg PO BID (bone marrow suppression, nausea)
 +    * Use concurrently: Folinic Acid 3-5mg PO 3 times/week (Baseline CBC, follow q week)
 +  * Clindamycin 150-300mg PO TID-QID (?reduces recurrence, risk of pseudomembranous colitis)
 +  * Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (DS) I PO BID
 +  * Atovaquone (Mepron) 750mg PO BID (kills cysts in vitro)
 +  * Tetracycline 2g load and 250mg PO QID (to replace clindamycin)
 +  * Prednisone 20-60 mg/day not used alone
 +
 +=== Rothova et.al. (The Netherlands) Am J Ophth, 115:515-523. April, 1993 ===
 +== Treatment Regimen #1 ==
 +  * Pyrimethamine, Sulfadiazine, Folinic Acid, Prednisone
 +  * Best at reducing size of lesions (49%), 
 +  * more medication side effects (26%), 
 +  * recurrence rate at 3 years (42%)
 +
 +== Treatment Regimen #2 ==
 +  * Clindamycin, Sulfadiazine, Prednisone
 +  * Reducing size of lesions >1/2 DD (28%) 
 +  * med side effects (17%)
 +  * recurrence rate at 3 years (67%)
 +== Treatment Regimen #3 ==
 +  * Co-trimoxazole, Prednisone
 +  * Reducing size of lesions >1/2 DD (11%)
 +  * med side effec!ts (4%)
 +  * recurrence rate at 3 years (40%)
 +
 +== Treatment Regimen #4 ==
 +  * No treatment (peripheral lesions)
 +  * Reducing size of lesions >1/2 DD (20%)
 +  * no med side effects
 +  * recurrence rate at 3 years (53%)
 +
 +== Comments ==
 +  * Recurrence rates not statistically significant
 +  * Size of retinal lesion correlated with duration of inflammation
 +  * All side-effects were reversible
 +  * Delay in starting medication (even up to 1 week) did not alter duration of inflammation
 +  * Sub-tenon's steroid- risk of increasing activity of organism
 +  * Vitrectomy- for vitreal haze reducing vision, perioperative antibiotics advocated
 +  * Cryotherapy and Laser photocoagulation generally not successful