Toxoplasmosis

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Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii, an apicomplexan. Infections with toxoplasmosis are associated with a variety of neuropsychiatric and behavioral conditions. Occasionally, infected individuals may experience a few weeks or months of mild, flu-like illness such as muscle aches and tender lymph nodes. In a small number of people, eye problems may develop. In those with a weakened immune system, severe symptoms such as seizures and poor coordination may occur. If a woman becomes infected during pregnancy, a condition known as congenital toxoplasmosis may affect the child. Toxoplasmosis is usually spread by eating poorly cooked food that contains cysts, by exposure to infected cat feces, or from an infected woman to her baby during pregnancy. Rarely, the disease may be spread by blood transfusion or other organ transplant. It is thought to not otherwise spread between people, but broader transmissibility remains...

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