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Last posts on private forums:  sare  2008-06-16 09:56:33 matthew 2008-04-12 21:25:59 pieniadz 2008-04-12 20:52:26
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Last posts on private blogs: matthew 2008-04-12 21:25:17 mary 2008-04-12 19:27:47 |
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Lastly added medical terms:
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You are in: Main Page / List of diseases / Litera T
/ Toxoplasmosis
 Description of disease:
Toxoplasmosis is a rare disease caused by the bacteria Toxoplasma gondii. The disease passes onto person from raw meat or contact with infected cat's faeces. Cats are said to be the most common sources of toxoplasmosis because they eat infected mice's meat, Toxoplasma gondii breeds in cat's small intestine and the eggs are excreted in cat's feces usually after 4 weeks from infection. If a person swallows this parasite it is placed in various body tissues, usually in muscles, brain, eyes or lungs. It creates cysts there what forces human immune system to produce antigens, the virus remains alive in its bearer for the rest of his/her life.
The symptoms include fatigue, tiredness, muscle aches, fever and swelling of the lymph nodes. The cysts are sometimes located in th eyes and cause vision problems. Although toxoplasmis is not a serious diseases there are two types which pose certain risks: in acute toxoplasmosis patients may develop encephalitis, hepatitis, pneumonia or carditis and in case of pregnant women who infect the fetus: the baby can be mentally impaired, deaf, blind or develop epilepsy.
Diagnosis can be done after checking the amount of antigens in person's blood. New born babies undergo serological blood tests, cerebrospinal fluid anaysis and examination of the placenta.
Most toxoplasmosis cases give no symptoms and recede idiopathically. Acute toxoplasmosis is treated with sulphonamydes and antiprotozoon medications. The treatment of pregnant women is difficult since most of the antibiotics are dangerous to fetus, healing becomes safer in the second trimester of pregnancy. New-born babies with toxoplasmosis are treated with steroids which reduce the inflammation.
Symptoms:
fatigue and exhaustion
fever
lymph glands, enlarged
muscle weakness
slightly raised temperature
sore throat
vision problems
Research:
Immunological testing
Serological test
Doctors :
Gynecologist
Added by:
mary
not connected with health care system
Added on:
2008-05-15 15:01:12 ,
Updated:
2008-05-15 15:07:38
Bibliography:
Visalli, G. Guide to Medical Cures and Treatments, 1998
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