Toxoplasma gondii IgG Seroprevalence in Patients with HIV/AIDS.

OBJECTIVE

Toxoplasmosis is a common opportunistic infection in patients with HIV/AIDS and may cause life-threatening clinical courses, such as encephalitis and pneumonia.

METHODS

Patients admitted between January 2006 and August 2017 with anti-HIV positivity confirmed by Western blotting were included in the study. Demographic data, CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts, and Toxoplasma gondii IgG/IgM levels were retrospectively obtained from patient records.

RESULTS

T. gondii IgM positivity was not detected in patients, whereas T. gondii IgG positivity was detected in 267 (43.5%) patients. The T. gondii IgG positivity rate was 37.6% in men who had sex with men (MSM) and 48.4% in heterosexual patients. Furthermore, 42.6% of MSM and 21% of heterosexual patients were university graduates, of which T. gondii IgG positivity was detected in only 33.6% of MSM patients and 42.3% of heterosexual patients.

CONCLUSION

In our study, high seronegativity was remarkable in MSM patients, particularly those who were highly educated, thus emphasizing the importance of prevention of primary infection in seronegative patients; necessity of prophylaxis in appropriate patients due to encephalitis, which has a high mortality rate and almost always develops after a latent infection; and necessity of screening for toxoplasmosis seropositivity at the time of diagnosis.