Human toxoplasmosis in Mozambique: gaps in knowledge and research opportunities.
Leonardo ManuelGabriela Santos-GomesEmília Virgínia NoormahomedPublished in: Parasites & vectors (2020)
Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic zoonotic disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii that afflicts humans worldwide and wild and domestic warm-blooded animals. In immunocompetent individuals, the acute phase of infection presents transient low or mild symptoms that remain unnoticed. In immunocompromised patients, T. gondii is a life-threatening opportunistic infection, which can result from the reactivation of latent infection or primary infection. Moreover, congenital toxoplasmosis, which results from the transplacental passage of tachyzoites into the fetus during a pregnant primary infection, can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, or ocular and neurologic disease, and neurocognitive deficits in the newborns. Thus, the present review aims to address the current knowledge of T. gondii infection and toxoplasmosis in Africa and especially in Mozambique, stressing the importance of identifying risk factors and promote awareness among the health care providers and population, assessing the gaps in knowledge and define research priorities. In Mozambique, and in general in southern African countries, clinical disease and epidemiological data have not yet been entirely addressed in addition to the implications of T. gondii infection in immunocompetent individuals, in pregnant women, and its relation with neuropsychiatric disorders. The main gaps in knowledge in Mozambique include lack of awareness of the disease, lack of diagnostic methods in health facilities, lack of genetic data, and lack of control strategies.
Keyphrases
- healthcare
- pregnant women
- toxoplasma gondii
- risk factors
- machine learning
- traumatic brain injury
- chronic kidney disease
- dna methylation
- public health
- climate change
- intensive care unit
- bipolar disorder
- health information
- big data
- electronic health record
- artificial intelligence
- genome wide
- depressive symptoms
- preterm infants
- sleep quality
- preterm birth
- health insurance
- extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
- peritoneal dialysis