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TOXOPLASMOSIS : THE DIAGNOSIS OF CLINICAL AND LATENT INFECTION IN AUSTRALIA
Author(s) -
GARVEN ALISON
Publication year - 1957
Publication title -
australasian annals of medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.596
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1445-5994
pISSN - 0571-9283
DOI - 10.1111/imj.1957.6.2.141
Subject(s) - asymptomatic , toxoplasmosis , medicine , encephalitis , hydrocephalus , population , pneumonia , meningoencephalitis , immunology , pediatrics , rash , retinitis , disease , congenital toxoplasmosis , antibody , toxoplasma gondii , pathology , dermatology , surgery , virus , environmental health , human cytomegalovirus
SUMMARY A summary of the clinical features of toxoplasmosis is given and the use of diagnostic tests is described. The disease presents most commonly as a congenital infection, which is transmitted to a fetus from a mother who is suffering from an acute asymptomatic infection. The infants suffer most commonly from hydrocephalus, convulsions, chorio‐retinitis and cerebral calcification. In the acquired form it may present as a typhus‐like illness with fever, maculo‐papular rash and symptoms of encephalitis and pneumonia. An antibody survey of a sample of the Australian population is presented and the nature of the dye test outlined. It was found that 35% of the adult population had cytoplasm‐modifying antibodies in their serum. The interpretation of these findings is discussed.