ABSTRACT
The evolution of knowledge regarding ocular toxoplasmosis over the last 30 years is described based on suties and observations performed in Southern Brazil. The isolation of Toxoplasma gondii established the definitive diagnosis of the disease. It was proven that in most cases, the disease was acquired after birth, a concept supported by the description of numerous familial cases and observation of the disease many years after primary infection. Epidemiological studies showed important regional variations in the prevalence of the disease due to different factors, including the types of strains involved, of which type I predominates. The large number of patients also enabled detailed study of the different formas of clinical preservation of the disease and its complications. New parameters have been established for the use of steroids and the management of pregnant women with active lesions. Studies on the epidemiology of toxoplasmic infection in pregnant women and newborns showed a high prevalence of infection. The different factors of exposure to infection have also been studied. Gradually, preventive actions have been development in the sphere of public health, although they have not been sufficiently effective. Trends for future resarch over the next few years are also outlined. [AU]
Subject(s)
Public Health/history , History of Medicine , Toxoplasmosis, Ocular/history , Toxoplasma , Parasitology/history , BrazilABSTRACT
It has been 100 years since Toxoplasma gondii was initially described in Tunis by Nicolle and Manceaux (1908) in the tissues of the gundi (Ctenodoactylus gundi) and in Brazil by Splendore (1908) in the tissues of a rabbit. Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous, Apicomplexan parasite of warm-blooded animals that can cause several clinical syndromes including encephalitis, chorioretinitis, congenital infection and neonatal mortality. Fifteen years after the description of T. gondii by Nicolle and Manceaux a fatal case of toxoplasmosis in a child was reported by Janku. In 1939 Wolf, Cowen and Paige were the first to conclusively identify T. gondii as a cause of human disease. This review examines the clinical manifestations of infection with T. gondii and the history of the discovery of these manifestations.
Subject(s)
AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections , Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic , Toxoplasmosis/history , AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections/history , Acute Disease , Animals , Chronic Disease , Encephalitis/history , Encephalitis/parasitology , Female , History, 20th Century , Host-Parasite Interactions , Humans , Immunocompromised Host , Lymphatic Diseases/history , Lymphatic Diseases/parasitology , Male , Pregnancy , Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic/history , Rabbits , Recurrence , Serologic Tests , Toxoplasma/isolation & purification , Toxoplasmosis/epidemiology , Toxoplasmosis/immunology , Toxoplasmosis, Ocular/history , Toxoplasmosis, Ocular/pathologyABSTRACT
In 1952, Helenor Campbell Wilder (later Helenor Campbell Wilder Foerster) confirmed the growing suspicion that Toxoplasma gondii was a cause of uveitis in otherwise healthy adults by identifying the presence of parasites in eyes enucleated because of severe intraocular inflammation. Ocular toxoplasmosis was previously known to occur only in newborns with congenital T gondii infection. Her report ushered in a new era in the field of uveitis in which toxoplasmosis, rather than tuberculosis, was confirmed to be the most common cause of retinochoroiditis. Fifty years later, issues raised in her landmark publication are still being investigated.
Subject(s)
Toxoplasmosis, Ocular/history , Anniversaries and Special Events , History, 20th Century , Humans , Ophthalmology/history , Pathology/history , United StatesABSTRACT
El objetivo del trabajo es dar a conocer los principales datos biográficos y el desempeño del Dr. Cecilio Romaña en la Argentina y España. En la confección del mismo se ha empleado el método histórico. Su actuación científica se puede dividir en tres períodos de acuerdo a los lugares donde le tocó actuar: 1) Norte argentino 1931-1960 (Florencia, Resistencia, San Miguel de Tucumán); 2) 1960-1966 (Buenos Aires) y 3) 1966-1988 (Barcelona, España). Se describen sus principales logros científicos ocupando un lugar especial el signo que lleva su nombre.
Subject(s)
History, 20th Century , Chagas Disease/diagnosis , Chagas Disease/history , Conjunctivitis/complications , Toxoplasmosis, Ocular/history , Tropical Medicine , Trypanosoma cruzi/pathogenicity , Argentina , Listeriosis/diagnosis , Physicians/history , Signs in HomeopathyABSTRACT
El objetivo del trabajo es dar a conocer los principales datos biográficos y el desempeño del Dr. Cecilio Romaña en la Argentina y España. En la confección del mismo se ha empleado el método histórico. Su actuación científica se puede dividir en tres períodos de acuerdo a los lugares donde le tocó actuar: 1) Norte argentino 1931-1960 (Florencia, Resistencia, San Miguel de Tucumán); 2) 1960-1966 (Buenos Aires) y 3) 1966-1988 (Barcelona, España). Se describen sus principales logros científicos ocupando un lugar especial el signo que lleva su nombre. (AU)
Subject(s)
HISTORIA DE LA MEDICINA DEL SIGLO 20ABSTRACT
Os A.A. relatam a descoberta do Toxoplasma, por mera coincidência ocorrida simultaneamente em Säo Paulo e Tunis. Aludem a outras curiosas coincidências em outras áreas do saber
