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Article

Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Humans: A Comprehensive Approach Involving the General Population, HIV-Infected Patients and Intermediate-Duration Fever in the Canary Islands, Spain

by
Cristina Carranza-Rodríguez
1,*,
Margarita Bolaños-Rivero
2 and
José-Luis Pérez-Arellano
1
1
University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain and Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences, 35016 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
2
Microbiology Division, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario Insular Materno Infantil, 35016 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Diagnostics 2024, 14(8), 809; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics14080809
Submission received: 1 March 2024 / Revised: 5 April 2024 / Accepted: 10 April 2024 / Published: 12 April 2024

Abstract

A prior investigation in 1993 identified a high seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis (63%) in the Canary Islands. This study aims to assess the current prevalence of the disease in diverse population groups. The study was based on a population-scale screening involving 273 residents utilizing T. gondii IgG ELISA and a 20 year retrospective study (1998–2018). This included AIDS/HIV outpatients (1357, of which 324 were residents), AIDS/HIV hospitalized patients (741) and patients with fever of intermediate duration (158). The seroprevalence in the resident population was 37%, with significant differences between islands. Among resident outpatients with AIDS/HIV, 14.2% had specific anti-T. gondii IgG, and three had anti-T. gondii IgM; however, IgG avidity testing indicated non-active infection. In patients hospitalized for AIDS/HIV, T. gondii causing encephalitis was detected in 2%. Among patients with fever of intermediate duration, 28.5% were positive for T. gondii IgG, and four also showed IgM positivity, although the infection was non-active. The study reveals a decrease in human toxoplasmosis over the past 30 years. However, the current seroprevalence, which stands at 37%, together with the substantial risk that T. gondii represents for immunocompromised individuals, highlights the need to implement preventive and control strategies to control the threat that this infection can pose to public health in the Canary Islands population.
Keywords: Toxoplasma gondii; AIDS/HIV; Canary Islands; Spain; human toxoplasmosis; seroprevalence Toxoplasma gondii; AIDS/HIV; Canary Islands; Spain; human toxoplasmosis; seroprevalence

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MDPI and ACS Style

Carranza-Rodríguez, C.; Bolaños-Rivero, M.; Pérez-Arellano, J.-L. Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Humans: A Comprehensive Approach Involving the General Population, HIV-Infected Patients and Intermediate-Duration Fever in the Canary Islands, Spain. Diagnostics 2024, 14, 809. https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics14080809

AMA Style

Carranza-Rodríguez C, Bolaños-Rivero M, Pérez-Arellano J-L. Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Humans: A Comprehensive Approach Involving the General Population, HIV-Infected Patients and Intermediate-Duration Fever in the Canary Islands, Spain. Diagnostics. 2024; 14(8):809. https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics14080809

Chicago/Turabian Style

Carranza-Rodríguez, Cristina, Margarita Bolaños-Rivero, and José-Luis Pérez-Arellano. 2024. "Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Humans: A Comprehensive Approach Involving the General Population, HIV-Infected Patients and Intermediate-Duration Fever in the Canary Islands, Spain" Diagnostics 14, no. 8: 809. https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics14080809

APA Style

Carranza-Rodríguez, C., Bolaños-Rivero, M., & Pérez-Arellano, J.-L. (2024). Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Humans: A Comprehensive Approach Involving the General Population, HIV-Infected Patients and Intermediate-Duration Fever in the Canary Islands, Spain. Diagnostics, 14(8), 809. https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics14080809

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