title: Usefulness of the detection of Toxoplasma gondii antigens in AIDS patients.
abstract: Toxoplasmic encephalitis (TE) is a mayor cause of central nervous system infection in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Toxoplasma antibodies were detected in 56 of 79 patients with AIDS (71%), in the present study. Fourteen out of 57 seropositive patients developed TF (25%) and had Toxoplasma gondii antigen detected in their urine. For this, most of them received an effective therapy, with the subsequent disappearance of the symptoms and discontinuity of excretion of the T. gondii antigens. Our results suggest that the monitoring of T. gondii antigen in the urine of AIDS patients may be useful to decide on the proper time for therapy, as well as to avoid the beginning of neurologic signs in these patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Pedro Kouri, Havana City, Cuba.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fachado
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fonte
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Alberti
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hadad
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fonseca
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Machin
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Finlay
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000652:urine; D000372:Agglutination Tests; D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000652:urine*; D004660:Encephalitis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000652:urine; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D011817:Rabbits; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000276:immunology*; D016781:Toxoplasmosis, Cerebral / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000652:urine
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan