Question

A 23-year-old woman presents with a history of recent seizures. She lives alone and has several cats in her apartment. An MRI scan of her brain shows a 3-cm mass lesion in the left temporal lobe and several smaller lesions in her cerebellum and right frontal cortex. What infectious disease is the most likely cause of this patient's intracerebral mass lesions?

	A.	Cryptococcosis
	B.	Actinomycosis
	C.	Toxoplasmosis
	D.	Coccidioidomycosis
	E.	Histoplasmosis

Answer 1

c) Toxoplasmosis.

EXPLANATION

Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which can be found in garden soil and raw meat. Cats can get toxoplasma infection by killing and eating infected prey. The disease can also be passed on from cats to humans.

Cats most often become carriers of toxoplasmosis by killing and eating wild animals who have been infected. A cat may also contract the disease should he come into contact with an infected cat’s feces. Once a cat is infected, the parasite multiplies in his intestines until immature eggs called oocysts are shed in his feces. Infected cats can shed oocysts for up to two weeks after initial infection.

Toxoplasmosis increases the risk for various neurological disorders, including epilepsy.

Infections due to Toxoplasma gondii, frequently result in an asymptomatic systemic infection in humans that commonly, involves the brain as well as other tissues. Eye manifestations are common in congenital infections and sometimes in acquired infections.

CNS manifestations may occur , rarely as encepencephalitis or mass lesions in the brain.

Since the patient has several cats in her apartment, presents with the recent history of seizures, and MRI Brain shows intracerebral mass lesions, she is most likely to have acquired toxoplasmosis infection.