Toxoplasmosis: Prevalence, Aetiology, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Abstract

Toxoplasmosis is a worldwide contagious disease of humans and other warm-blooded animals, including birds. Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite responsible for Toxoplasmosis disease, which is clinically manifested chiefly in pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems. Clinical complications include abortion and stillbirths, encephalitis, pneumonia, brain and eye damage, and neonatal mortality. The genus Toxoplasma was first proposed in 1908 by Nicolle and Manceaux following the identification of asexual stages of similar parasites in the tissues of birds and mammals, and merozoites in the blood of North African rodents, Ctenodactylus gundi. At about the same time, Splendore independently described Toxoplasma in laboratory rabbits in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Darling probably found it in man in Panama in the same year. Although several species were named, during the 1930s, it was shown that these were identical to the type species T. gondii. During the 1960, scientists provided evidence for the coccidian nature of the parasite. Then, between 1960 and 1970, the heterogeneous life cycle was elucidated by the discovery of sexual stages in the small intestine of cats, which followed the induction of infection in intermediate hosts by inoculation with cat feces. This review seeks to study the parasite and its responsibility to cause disease, condition prevalence, clinical manifestations accompanied by infection, and treatment protocols.