Incidence and Risk Factors of Toxoplasmosis in a Cohort of Human Immunodeficiency Virus‐Infected Patients: 1988‐1995

Bélanger, F.; Derouin, Francis; Grangeot-Keros, L.; Meyer, Laurence

doi:10.1086/515147

Cited by 99 publications

(79 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…The emergence of parasite strains resistant to the few efficacious treatments that are available underscores the urgent need to identify new classes of drug targets and novel antiparasitic therapeutics (Aspinall et al 2002;Trouiller et al 2002;White 2004). Members of the phylum include: Plasmodium, the etiological agent of malaria, accounting for one-in-five deaths among children under the age of five in Africa (World Health Organization 2003); Toxoplasma gondii, the causative agent of toxoplasmosis, infects nearly one-in-three of the adult population with severe implications for those living with HIV/AIDS (Belanger et al 1999); Cryptosporidium, a waterborne pathogen also with implications for immune-compromised individuals (Hunter and Nichols 2002); the invertebrate parasite Gregarina, a useful model for studying apicomplexan motility; and the agricultural parasites Eimeria, Neospora, Sarcocystis, and Theileria, which cause disease across a range of livestock (Graat et al 1996;Dubey 1999).…”

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confidence: 99%

The origins of apicomplexan sequence innovation

Wasmuth¹,

Daub²,

Peregrín-Alvarez³

et al. 2009

Genome Res.

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The Apicomplexa are a group of phylogenetically related parasitic protists that include Plasmodium, Cryptosporidium, and Toxoplasma. Together they are a major global burden on human health and economics. To meet this challenge, several international consortia have generated vast amounts of sequence data for many of these parasites. Here, we exploit these data to perform a systematic analysis of protein family and domain incidence across the phylum. A total of 87,736 protein sequences were collected from 15 apicomplexan species. These were compared with three protein databases, including the partial genome database, PartiGeneDB, which increases the breadth of taxonomic coverage. From these searches we constructed taxonomic profiles that reveal the extent of apicomplexan sequence diversity. Sequences without a significant match outside the phylum were denoted as apicomplexan specialized. These were collated into 9134 discrete protein families and placed in the context of the apicomplexan phylogeny, identifying the putative origin of each family. Most apicomplexan families were associated with an individual genus or species. Interestingly, many genera-specific innovations were associated with specialized host cell invasion and/or parasite survival processes. Contrastingly, those families reflecting more ancestral relationships were enriched in generalized housekeeping functions such as translation and transcription, which have diverged within the apicomplexan lineage. Protein domain searches revealed 192 domains not previously reported in apicomplexans together with a number of novel domain combinations. We highlight domains that may be important to parasite survival.

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

The origins of apicomplexan sequence innovation

Wasmuth¹,

Daub²,

Peregrín-Alvarez³

et al. 2009

Genome Res.

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“…Thus, it is possible that the immunosuppression due to malignancy and canine distemper virus had caused reactivation of a pre-existing T. gondii infection in these dogs. It has already been authenticated that T. gondii is an important opportunistic pathogen of the immunocompromised persons (Belanger et al 1999).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Polymerase chain reaction based detection of Toxoplasma gondii from lymph node aspirates of dogs

Bharathi¹,

Sreekumar

Rajendran

2012

J Parasit Dis

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The purpose of the study was to detect DNA of Toxoplasma gondii in lymph node aspirates of dogs using amplification of SAG-2 gene fragment. Blood and lymph node aspirates were collected from 20 clinically ill dogs of different age groups. Lymph node aspirates were analysed with polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Two numbers of dogs were found to be positive by PCR. The PCR positive dogs showed modified direct agglutination test (MDAT) titre of 1:512 and 1:4,096. The remaining sera samples showed the titre value of less than 1:64 by MDAT and were also negative by PCR. This study indicates that lymph node aspirates could be an alternative ideal specimen for the detection of T. gondii.

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“…A blood level of LDH > 600 U/L is more likely to be associated with toxoplasmosis than pneumocystis pneumonia [17]. A toxoplasma antibody titer of >150 U/ml is an important predictor of cerebral and extracerebral toxoplasmosis [18]. Finally, pulmonary toxoplasmosis occurs mainly in patients with severe immunodeficiency, with a CD4 cell count of 40 ±75 cells/µl [14].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%