Symptoms of toxoplasmosis

Acquired toxoplasmosis. The incubation period of toxoplasmosis lasts from 3 to 21 days, but can be extended to several months. The duration of the incubation period depends on the virulence of toxoplasma, the massiveness of infection and the premorbid background.

Toxoplasmosis usually begins acutely, with a rise in body temperature to 38-39 °C. Sometimes there are prodromal symptoms in the form of malaise, weakness, and a slight headache. In the acute development of the disease, children complain of general weakness, severe headache, sometimes chills, muscle and joint pain, refuse to eat, and lose weight. Some children develop rashes on the skin, usually maculopapular, they sometimes merge, forming spots with scalloped edges. The rash is distributed evenly over the entire body, but spares the scalp, palms, and soles. The lymph nodes increase in size, mainly the cervical, axillary, and inguinal, less often the lymph nodes of the abdominal cavity and mediastinum. Usually the lymph nodes are of moderate density, mobile, sensitive to palpation. At the height of clinical manifestations, the liver and spleen are enlarged, palpitations, dyspnea are possible, sometimes acute myocarditis with rhythm and conduction disturbances, expansion of the heart borders occurs. These symptoms are often combined with damage to the central nervous system such as encephalitis, encephalomyelitis or meningoencephalitis. Sharp headaches, repeated vomiting, meningeal symptoms, convulsions, loss of consciousness, damage to the cranial nerves, cerebellar disorders, hemiparesis are noted. Mental disorders are typical. The disease can be fatal.

Along with severe forms of acquired toxoplasmosis, mild and inapparent (subclinical) forms are possible.

Acquired toxoplasmosis usually ends with complete clinical recovery, but sometimes the process becomes chronic. In this case, symptoms of prolonged intoxication are revealed: general weakness, increased fatigue, adynamia, decreased appetite, sleep disturbances, weight loss, muscle and joint pain, palpitations, headache. Chronic toxoplasmosis is characterized by prolonged subfebrile temperature, lymphadenopathy, mesadenitis, pain during palpation of individual muscle groups with possible detection of compacted areas, generalized arthralgia without visible changes in the joints, liver enlargement without significant impairment of its functions, frequent damage to the bile ducts.

In chronic toxoplasmosis, the nervous system is often affected, with the appearance of asthenic conditions, various phobias, and neurasthenic reactions. Sometimes chronic sluggish toxoplasmic encephalitis occurs, manifested by an epileptiform syndrome with periodically occurring clonic or clonic-tonic seizures. When the pathological process involves the brain and its membranes, chronic acquired toxoplasmosis is severe. A long-term course with periodic exacerbations leads to a decrease in intelligence, the formation of Jacksonian epilepsy, persistent mental disorders, and severe diencephalic pathology.

Changes in the autonomic nervous system are quite characteristic: acrocyanosis, marbled skin pattern, dry and flaky skin, hyperhidrosis of the palms, trophic changes in the nails, and attacks of sweating, dizziness, and tachycardia are also possible. Some patients have a clinical picture of chronic arachnoiditis with focal symptoms (decreased visual acuity and narrowing of the visual fields). A frequent manifestation of chronic toxoplasmosis is eye damage (chorioretinitis, uveitis, progressive myopia). Chronic toxoplasmosis eye damage can lead to atrophy of the optic nerve and complete loss of vision.

Congenital toxoplasmosis. An acute or chronic disease of newborns that occurs when the fetus is infected with toxoplasma during intrauterine development. In acute toxoplasmosis, the child's condition is severe from the first days of the disease. Symptoms of intoxication are expressed. Body temperature is often high, but can also be subfebrile. There is abundant maculopapular or hemorrhagic rash on the skin, less often there are hemorrhages in the mucous membranes and sclera. Jaundice, enlargement of the liver and spleen, lymph nodes of all groups are often noted, dyspeptic disorders, pneumonia, myocarditis are possible. In especially severe cases, the disease is accompanied by encephalitis or meningoencephalitis (vomiting, convulsions, tremors, shuddering, paralysis, paresis, damage to the cranial nerves, etc.). In the cerebrospinal fluid, lymphocytic cytosis, xanthochromia, and an increased content of total protein are noted.