       Document 0507
 DOCN  M9610507
 TI    Diagnosis of Toxoplasma gondii infection in AIDS patients by a
       tissue-culture technique.
 DT    9601
 AU    Contini C; Romani R; Magno S; Delia S; Institute of Infectious and
       Respiratory Diseases, University of; Ferrara, Italy.
 SO    Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 1995 May;14(5):434-40. Unique
       Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/96039821
 AB    Toxoplasma gondii infection was investigated in 14 AIDS patients with
       neurological involvement who showed clinical and computer tomographic
       scan signs suggestive of toxoplasmic encephalitis or extraneuronal
       localization suggestive of toxoplasmic infection. Blood, lung secretion
       (bronchoalveolar lavage and/or induced sputum sample) and cerebral
       spinal fluid (CSF) samples were cultured, and the results compared with
       the results of direct examination by Giemsa and by immunofluorescence of
       lung secretions and CSF. Toxoplasma gondii were observed directly in
       only four patients by immunofluorescence in bronchoalveolar lavage,
       induced sputum and CSF samples, and in three of these patients by Giemsa
       staining of bronchoalveolar lavage and CSF smears. In contrast,
       parasites were detected after 48 h in blood cultures from 11 of the 14
       AIDS patients, in CSF cultures from eight of them and also in cultures
       of bronchoalveolar lavage and induced sputum from the six patients with
       respiratory and radiological features indicative of lung tissue damage.
       The findings indicate the value of tissue culture for diagnosis of
       toxoplasmosis as well as for monitoring the effects of treatment and
       also indicate that culture of induced sputum could be a powerful tool in
       establishing the incidence of pulmonary toxoplasmosis in AIDS patients.
 DE    Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/COMPLICATIONS  Adult  Animal
       AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections/BLOOD/CEREBROSPINAL FLUID/
       *DIAGNOSIS/PARASITOLOGY  Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid/PARASITOLOGY
       Female  Fluorescent Antibody Technique  Human  Male  Sputum/PARASITOLOGY
       Support, Non-U.S. Gov't  Tissue Culture  Toxoplasma/*ISOLATION & PURIF
       Toxoplasmosis/BLOOD/CEREBROSPINAL FLUID/COMPLICATIONS/*DIAGNOSIS
       JOURNAL ARTICLE

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).

