title: Incidence and clinical and immunological characteristics of primary Toxoplasma gondii infection in HIV-infected patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the incidence and laboratory characteristics of primary Toxoplasma gondii infection in HIV-infected individuals.
  
  
  METHODS
  This retrospective study was conducted between 1988 and 2012 on a cohort of 1130 HIV-infected patients at the AIDS Center Prague. Toxoplasma serology, standard laboratory parameters, and health status were evaluated at 3-6-month intervals for all patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The total person-time of follow-up of patients at risk of Toxoplasma seroconversion was 3046.3 years; there were 14 primary T. gondii infections, yielding an incidence rate of 0.0046 (95% confidence interval 0.0027-0.0078). Most of the subjects were clinically asymptomatic, but in one case seroconversion was accompanied by transient cervical lymphadenopathy. The CD4+ T-lymphocyte count geometric mean increased from 418 (95% confidence interval 303-579) cells/μl before seroconversion to 501 (95% confidence interval 363-691) cells/μl after seroconversion (p = 0.004), while other parameters (CD8+ T-lymphocytes, natural killer cells, viral load, beta2-microglobulin, total immunoglobulins) remained unchanged. As compared to the control group, patients with primary toxoplasmosis had higher initial levels of total immunoglobulins IgA and IgG and a tendency to higher CD8+ T lymphocyte counts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Neither the incidence nor the course of the primary Toxoplasma infection was influenced by the immune status of the patients. Immune parameters of patients with primary Toxoplasma infection did not differ from those of the controls.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Third Faculty of Medicine, Prague, Czech Republic. Electronic address: ladimachala@centrum.cz.
authors.forename: Ladislav
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Machala
authors.forename: Marek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Malý
authors.forename: Ondřej
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Beran
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jilich
authors.forename: Petr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kodym
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D000328:Adult; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D005260:Female; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014123:Toxoplasmosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015483:HIV Antibodies
keywords: HIV; Incidence; Primary infection; Seroconversion; Toxoplasma gondii