Protein profile of purified plasma- and aqueous humor-derived extracellular vesicles from patients with ocular toxoplasmosis

ABSTRACT Purpose: To characterize the extracellular vesicle protein cargo in the aqueous humor and plasma of patients with ocular toxoplasmosis. Methods: Aqueous humor and plasma were collected from six patients with active ocular toxoplasmosis and six patients with cataract. Extracellular vesicles were isolated, and western blotting and mass spectrometry were performed for protein analysis. Results: All plasma samples from patients with ocular toxoplasmosis and cataract were positive for the tetraspanins CD63 and TSG101. However, the aqueous humor from patients with ocular toxoplasmosis was positive only for CD63. Sixty-seven new unreported proteins were identified in the aqueous humor and plasma of patients with the ocular toxoplasmosis and cataract. Of the 67 proteins, 10 and 7 were found only in the cataract and ocular toxoplasmosis groups, respectively. In general, these proteins were involved in immune system activation and retina homeostasis and were related to infections and retina-associated diseases. Conclusion: The distinct protein signatures between ocular toxoplasmosis and cataract may be helpful in the differential diagnosis of ocular toxoplasmosis. However, more studies are needed to better understand the role of these proteins in the pathogenesis of ocular toxoplasmosis.

Not Always Toxoplasmosis: Active Retinochoroiditis Presumably Secondary to Herpes in Eyes with Hyperpigmented Retinochoroidal Previous Scars.

PURPOSE: To demonstrate that the presence of active retinochoroiditis in eyes with previous hyperpigmented old retinochoroidal lesions is not exclusive of ocular toxoplasmosis. METHODS: A case series was constructed by reviewing medical records. RESULTS: Four Brazilian patients presenting active posterior uveitis in eyes with previous hyperpigmented old retinochoroidal lesions were identified. Ocular toxoplasmosis was ruled out in all cases. One case had viral etiology confirmed through vitreous PCR (HSV-2 was positive), and the other 3 cases had a presumed diagnosis of herpetic posterior uveitis. CONCLUSION: Focus active retinitis adjacent to an old cicatricial lesion should not be considered pathognomonic of toxoplasmosis and viral etiology must be considered.

Interleukin 17F Gene Polymorphism as a Potential Protective Factor in the Immunopathology of Ocular Toxoplasmosis.

Ocular toxoplasmosis (OT) is characterised by intraocular inflammation due to Toxoplasma gondii infection. Studies have found that interleukin 17 (IL-17) plays a central role in the pathology of OT. However, nucleotide variability in IL17 and interleukin 17 receptor (IL17R) genes has not been characterised in OT. As cytokine gene polymorphisms may influence the expression of these molecules, the aim of this study was to verify whether IL17A (rs2275913), IL17F (rs763780), IL17RA (rs4819554) and IL17RC (rs708567) polymorphisms are associated with OT in a Brazilian population. This study enrolled 214 patients seropositive for T. gondii (110 with OT and 104 without) and 107 controls. Polymorphisms were identified by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis, validated by DNA sequencing with chi-square and multivariate analyses being used to assess possible associations between polymorphisms and OT. Logistic regression under the dominant model revealed a protection factor against OT of the C mutant allele of the IL17F (rs763780) polymorphism. The T/C-C/C genotypes were significantly more common in patients without OT compared to those with OT (p value = 0.0066) and controls (p value = 0.014). Findings from this study suggest that the IL17F polymorphism may have an influence in the immunopathology of OT in Brazilian individuals.

Systemic and Bilateral Severe Ocular Toxoplasmosis Resembling Autoimmune Phenomena: A Case Report.

PURPOSE: To present an atypical case of severe bilateral ocular toxoplasmosis with systemic involvement that initially mimicked an autoimmune etiology, posing challenges to its diagnosis and treatment. CASE REPORT: A 39-year-old immunocompetent male was admitted to the hospital due to a presumed pulmonary thromboembolism concomitant with an abrupt onset of vision loss. Initial differential diagnoses included antiphospholipid syndrome and systemic lupus erythematosus, prompting the administration of corticosteroid pulses and rituximab. Despite observing a partial systemic response, there was no improvement in visual acuity. Subsequent aqueous humor polymerase chain reaction confirmed Toxoplasma gondii infection, leading to the introduction of oral antibiotic therapy. The patient's condition showed a partially favorable response; however, the treatment could not reverse the permanent retinal damage. CONCLUSION AND IMPORTANCE: This case underscores the importance of ruling out an infectious etiology in all cases of uveitis. Additionally, it alerts clinicians to the possibility that elevated positive autoantibodies may result from a severe inflammatory reaction caused by pathogens rather than an autoimmune or autoinflammatory disease, particularly in instances of poor treatment response or atypical clinical presentation.

Recurrent acquired ocular toxoplasmosis associated with Kyrieleis plaques and documented allergy to sulfonamide-A treatment proposal for two rare conditions.

The aim of this study was to describe a case of a patient with ocular toxoplasmosis, which has resulted in Kyrieleis plaques formation (segmental periarteritis associated with severe inflammation) and later follow-up and alternative treatment due to documented allergy to sulfonamide. A 33-year-old Brazilian woman diagnosed with acute toxoplasmosis, initially treated with sulfonamide, developed a critical cutaneous rash. Cotrimoxazole was changed to clindamycin and pyrimethamine, and prednisone was started. The medication was maintained for 45 days. Four months later, she developed retinal lesions suggestive of toxoplasmosis with Kyrieleis plaques in the upper temporal vessels. Pyrimethamine, clindamycin, and prednisone were initiated until healing. She presented reactivation months later, and a suppressive treatment with pyrimethamine was instituted for one year. This is the first report to use the combination of clindamycin with pyrimethamine in the treatment and recurrence prophylaxis for OT in a documented allergy to sulfonamide.

Long-Term Low-Dose Pyrimethamine Use for the Prevention of Ocular Toxoplasmosis Recurrences: A Cohort Study.

PURPOSE: To describe the effect of long-term, low-dose pyrimethamine for the prevention of ocular toxoplasmosis (OT) recurrences. METHODS: Sixty-three consecutive patients with inactive ocular toxoplasmosis and positive toxoplasma IgG serology were included. Pyrimethamine (25 mg) + folinic acid (15 mg) were administered every other day (three times weekly) for 12 months. Eighteen patients received the treatment for an additional six months as part of an extension study. RESULTS: Thirty-eight patients (60.3%, n = 63) were female; 38 (60.3%) had a previous history of recurrence and 37 (58.7%) had active OT within the preceding 12 months. Three (4.8%) patients had unilateral recurrences at 8, 12 and 18 months after starting intermittent pyrimethamine treatment. Five patients (7.9%) were discontinued due to hematological, renal and hepatic changes. Treatment was considered successful in 42 patients (84%). CONCLUSION: Long-term, low-dose pyrimethamine can be considered as a treatment option for the prevention of ocular toxoplasmosis recurrence in selected patients, with only a few, mild and reversible systemic adverse events.

Surgical management of retinal detachment and macular holes secondary to ocular toxoplasmosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Toxoplasma gondii causes ocular toxoplasmosis (OT), involving inflammation, scarring, and retinal complications. The OT complications were retinal detachment (RD), and retinal breakage (RB). Surgical interventions like scleral buckling (SB) and vitrectomy are common. Limited understanding exists of the safety and efficacy of surgical management of RD/RB secondary to OT. Another complication is toxoplasmosis-related macular holes (tMH), with sparse evidence on surgical outcomes. This meta-analysis aims to clarify clinical characteristics, and surgical results, and enhance understanding of RD, RB, and MH secondary to OT. METHODS: PubMed, Cochrane, Embase and Web of Science database were queried for retrospective studies, case series and case reports that provided information on RD, RB and MH associated with OT and reported the outcomes of: (1) Retinal reattachment of RD/RB and tMH closure; (2) Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) improvement; and (3) Complications. Heterogeneity was examined with I2 statistics. A random-effects model was used for outcomes with high heterogeneity. Statistical analysis was performed using the software R (version 4.2.3, R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria). RESULTS: Fourteen final studies, comprising a total of 96 patients were analyzed, 81 with RD or RB and 15 with tMH. Overall, surgical management was associated with several advantages: a high rate of retinal reattachment of RD/RB of 97% (95% Confidence Interval [CI] 92-100%; I2 = 0%), retinal reattachment of just RD of 96% (95% CI 89-100%; I2 = 30%) and tMH closure 97% (95% CI 87-100; I2 = 12%). There were significant differences in BCVA after surgeries in studies of RD/RB (MD 0.60; 95% CI 0.35-0.65; I2 = 20%) and MH (MD 0.67; 95% CI 0.50-0.84; I2 = 0%). The overall complication rate associated with surgical procedures in RD/RB secondary to OT was confirmed to be 25%. CONCLUSIONS: The systematic review and meta-analysis showed that the treatment approaches currently in use are effective, with a remarkable rate of retinal reattachment of RD/RB, tMH closure, and substantial improvements in visual acuity. More randomized, long-term studies on disease and surgical factors can provide valuable insights into their impact on anatomical and visual outcomes.

Atypical pattern of ocular toxoplasmosis: recurrent inner foveal toxoplasmic retinitis (rifter).

Failure to recognize the different possible clinical presentations of ocular toxoplasmosis may delay diagnosis and treatment, compromising visual prognosis. The aim of this paper is to describe an atypical pattern of ocular toxoplasmosis, not yet described. Five Brazilian patients, from 4 different referral centers, presented similar atypical pattern of ocular toxoplasmosis characterized by mild vitritis, foveal cavitation involving predominantly all retinal layers associated with adjacent inner retinal necrosis (a necrotizing retinitis with a persisting inner retinal tissue bridge and loss of subjacent retinal layers). The appearance of the OCT image resembling a "rift", led the authors to define this pattern as a Recurrent Inner Foveal Toxoplasmic Retinitis (RIFTER), which can be considered as a new description of an atypical pattern of toxoplasma retinochoroiditis, and clinicians should be aware of it and consider testing for toxoplasmosis in patients with similar findings.

Genetic Variations in the Purinergic P2X7 Receptor Are Associated with the Immune Response to Ocular Toxoplasmosis in Colombia.

Ocular toxoplasmosis (OT) is characterized by inflammation within the eye and is the most recognized clinical manifestation of toxoplasmosis. The objective of this study was to identify new single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the P2RX7 gene that may have significance in the immune response to OT in Colombian patients. A case-control study was conducted to investigate the associations between SNPs (rs1718119 and rs2230912) in the P2RX7 gene and OT in 64 Colombian patients with OT and 64 controls. Capillary electrophoresis was used to analyze the amplification products, and in silico algorithms were employed to predict deleterious SNPs. Stability analysis of amino acid changes indicated that both mutations could lead to decreased protein structure stability. A nonsynonymous SNP, Gln460Arg, located in the long cytoplasmic tail of the receptor, showed a significant association with OT (Bonferroni correction (BONF) = 0.029; odds ratio OR = 3.46; confidence interval CI: 1.05 to 11.39), while no significant association between rs1718119 and OT risk was observed. Based on the 3D structure analysis of the P2RX7 protein trimer, it is hypothesized that an increase in the flexibility of the cytoplasmic domain of this receptor could alter its function. This SNP could potentially serve as a biomarker for identifying Colombian patients at risk of OT.

Association Between Ocular Trauma and Activation of Ocular Toxoplasmosis.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the association between ocular trauma and activation of ocular toxoplasmosis. METHODS: Retrospective review of 686 patients with ocular toxoplasmosis and its association with trauma to the eye or the head within 1 week of activation. RESULTS: Ten patients with a history of trauma and activation of ocular toxoplasmosis were detected (10/686; 1.45%). Nine patients showed a primary focus of retinitis without a previous scar and one patient had a recurrent form of ocular toxoplasmosis. From these 10 patients, Toxoplasma IgG was positive in eight of them. The median age of the patients was 35.8 years-old (range 17 to 65). CONCLUSIONS: These cases suggest that trauma can be associated with activation of retinal bradyzoite cysts in ocular toxoplasmosis.

Características de las lesiones retinianas en pacientes con diagnóstico de Toxoplasmosis ocular que acuden a un centro de referencia en oftalmología en Paraguay

Introducción: La toxoplasmosis es una enfermedad parasitaria, en América Latina la prevalencia es relativamente alta, se sabe que la enfermedad no solo es la causa más frecuente de uveítis posterior, sino también la causa principal de la uveítis en sí misma. En Paraguay no se dispone de datos epidemiológicos publicados sobre la misma. Objetivo: Determinar las características de las lesiones retinianas en pacientes con diagnóstico de Toxoplasmosis ocular. Metodología: El presente estudio es observacional, descriptivo, de corte transversal, temporalmente retrospectivo, con muestreo no probabilístico de casos consecutivos. Se enfocó en pacientes con diagnóstico de Toxoplasmosis que acudieron al servicio de Oftalmología del Hospital de Clínicas, durante el periodo de junio de 2020 a febrero 2022. Resultados: Se observó un 54,3 % de mujeres, una media de 30,62 +/- 12,96 años y un 62,8 % de procedencia urbana. El 88,3 % de los casos fueron unilaterales, la mitad de episodios primarios, el 93,6 % casos agudos, y el 97,9 % tuvo un mecanismo de trasmisión adquirido. La mayoría se presentó como Panuveítis, las localizaciones más frecuentes de las lesiones retinocoroideas fueron el Polo posterior (extramacular) y la periferia. El principal abordaje terapéutico fue el tratamiento con Trimetoprim Sulfametoxazol y corticoides sistémicos, la duración del tratamiento fue de 6,51 +/- 1,52 semanas, y las principales complicaciones fueron la Vitritis residual y la Hipertensión ocular. Discusión: La toxoplasmosis ocular es una causa importante de morbilidad visual. Se hace fundamental la prevención de la infección por este parásito mediante medidas higiénico-sanitarias, así como el diagnóstico y tratamiento precoz de los pacientes infectados, de tal manera a disminuir las complicaciones asociadas a esta patología.

Introduction: Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic disease, in Latin America the prevalence is relatively high, it is known that the disease is not only the most frequent cause of posterior uveitis, but also the main cause of uveitis itself. In Paraguay there are no published epidemiological data on it. Objective: To determine the characteristics of retinal lesions in patients diagnosed with ocular Toxoplasmosis. Methods: This study is observational, descriptive, cross-sectional, temporally retrospective, with non-probabilistic sampling of consecutive cases. It focused on patients diagnosed with Toxoplasmosis who attended the Ophthalmology service of the Hospital de Clínicas, during the period from June 2020 to February 2022. Results: 54.3% of women were observed, an average of 30.62 +/ - 12.96 years old and 62.8% of urban origin. 88.3% of the cases were unilateral, half were primary episodes, 93.6% acute cases, and 97.9% had an acquired transmission mechanism. Most presented as panuveitis, the most frequent locations of retinochoroidal lesions were the posterior pole (extramacular) and the periphery. The main therapeutic approach was treatment with trimethoprim sulfamethoxazole and systemic corticosteroids, the duration of treatment was 6.51 +/- 1.52 weeks, and the main complications were residual vitritis and ocular hypertension. Discussion: Ocular toxoplasmosis is an important cause of visual morbidity. It is essential to prevent infection by this parasite through hygienic-sanitary measures, as well as early diagnosis and treatment of infected patients, in order to reduce the complications associated with this pathology.

Recurrence of Ocular Toxoplasmosis after Vitrectomy: Case Report and Review.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to report one case of ocular toxoplasmosis (OT) recurrence after vitrectomy and review the scientific basis about it. CASE REPORT: A 58-year-old male patient with previous OT, properly treated, underwent vitrectomy due to macular hole. During follow-up, patient evolved with recurrence of the OT. After 1 year, patient presents visual acuity of 20/200 and extensive macular scar. CONCLUSION: There is no consensus on using perioperative antiparasitic therapy aiming recurrence prophylaxis. Studies with better statistical design are necessary to evaluate the recurrence risk after ocular surgeries and the possible recommendation of prophylaxis, especially in countries where the strains are more virulent and the recurrence more common.

Role of interleukin 1ß and interleukin 10 variants on ocular toxoplasmosis in Brazilian individuals.

Introduction: Ocular toxoplasmosis (OT) is an intraocular inflammation caused by Toxoplasma gondii infection that affects the retina and choroid, giving rise to posterior uveitis. Genetic polymorphisms in cytokine genes may exert influence in the expression of these molecules and play a significant role in inflammatory responses and susceptibility to OT. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of polymorphisms rs16944 (-511 C > T) of the interleukin (IL) 1ß gene and rs1800896 (-1082 G > A) of the IL10 gene on OT in Brazilian individuals with a serologic diagnosis of T. gondii and after conducting fundoscopic exams. Methods: Participants with a positive serology were classified into two distinct groups according to the presence (G1; n = 110) or absence (G2; n = 104) of OT. The control group (G3) consisted of individuals without the infection (n = 108). Results: It was observed that the C/C genotype of the IL1ß gene polymorphism was a protective factor for OT (p = 0.02, OR = 0.28, 95% CI 0.08-0.78 for G1 vs. G2; p = 0.03; OR = 0.29, 95% CI 0.09-0.82 for G1 vs. G3), according to the recessive inheritance model. Conclusions: The -511C.T polymorphisms of the IL1ß gene seems to play an important role in the pathogenesis of OT in Brazilian individuals.

Toxoplasmosis ocular en lactantes de 0 a 12 meses de edad con toxoplasmosis congénita / Ocular toxoplasmosis in infants 0 to 12 months of age with congenital toxoplasmosis

INTRODUCCIÓN: La toxoplasmosis ocular (TO) es una retinocoroiditis que evoluciona con varios episodios de inflamación y puede presentarse, tanto en la forma congénita o adquirida de la enfermedad, OBJETIVO: Describir la frecuencia y características clínicas de la TO en lactantes de 0 a 12 meses, hijos de madres con serología positiva para toxoplasmosis en el periodo perinatal. METODOLOGÍA: Estudio descriptivo transversal, ambispectivo. Ingresaron lactantes de 0 a 12 meses de edad, cuyas madres tenían serología positiva para toxoplasmosis en el periodo perinatal, remitidos al servicio de oftalmología pediátrica para evaluación. Se recogieron variables demográficas, serología materna y de los lactantes, y los resultados del examen oftalmológico. Los datos fueron analizados en SPSS-v21. RESULTADOS: El 46,4% de 125 lactantes tenían TO, de ellos, 67,2% era de sexo femenino (p = 0,04), la mediana de edad fue de 6 meses, el 41% tenía IgG e IgM positiva. Las lesiones fueron bilaterales en 82,8%, central en 86,2%, e inactivas en 81%. La retinocoroiditis se acompañó de estrabismo en 41%. CONCLUSIONES: La frecuencia de TO en esta población de lactantes con toxoplasmosis congénita, fue elevada. Más de 80% de las lesiones oculares eran inactivas, de localización central y compromiso bilateral.

BACKGROUND: Ocular toxoplasmosis (OT) is a retinochoroiditis that evolves with several episodes of inflammation and can occur both in the congenital or acquired form of the disease, AIM: To describe the frequency and clinical characteristics of OT in infants aged 0 to 12 months, children of mothers with positive serology for toxoplasmosis in the perinatal period. METHODS: Cross-sectional descriptive, ambispective study. RESULTS: Infants from 0 to 12 months of age, whose mothers had positive serology for toxoplasmosis in the perinatal period, referred to the pediatric ophthalmology service for evaluation, were admitted. Demographic variables, maternal and infant serology and the results of the ophthalmological examination were collected. Data were analyzed in SPSS v21 RESULTS: 46.4% of 125 infants had OT, of them 67.2% were female, (p = 0.04) the median age was 6 months, 41% had IgG and IgM positive. The lesions were bilateral in 82.8%, central in 86.2%, and inactive in 81%. Retinochoroiditis was accompanied by strabismus in 41%. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of OT in this population of infants with congenital toxoplasmosis was high. more than 80% of the eye lesions were inactive, centrally located and bilaterally involved.

Colombian Ocular Infectious Epidemiology Study (COIES): Ocular Toxoplasmosis Incidence and Sociodemographic Characterization, 2015-2019.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to describe the incidence of ocular involvement in patients with toxoplasmosis and describe the sociodemographic characteristics by age, sex, and region in Colombia, based on the National Health Registry of data between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2019. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study using the Integrated Social Protection Information System database from the Colombian Ministry of Health, the unique official database in the country. We used the International Classification of Diseases for all codes of toxoplasmosis with a specific filter for ocular toxoplasmosis (OT) from 2015 to 2019 to estimate the incidence and the demographic status of the disease in Colombia. RESULTS: During the 5 years of study, the crude unadjusted incidence of OT was 42.02 (Confidence Interval 30.29-56.19) cases in 1,000 patients with toxoplasmosis per year, showing a significant increase of incidence when comparing the year 2019 to the year 2015. There was a predominance of female patients (58% of the cases). The distribution by age shows an increase in cases of the disease in subjects aged 15 to 49 years (65.2%). The geographic analysis showed a higher proportion of cases in the Andean region, followed by the Pacific and the Atlantic regions. CONCLUSION: This is the first study that determines the epidemiological characteristics of OT based on a National Health database in Colombia, showing a public health problem and evidencing the neediness of solidifying preventive and screening strategies in the Colombian population.

A Trust-Based Methodology to Evaluate Deep Learning Models for Automatic Diagnosis of Ocular Toxoplasmosis from Fundus Images.

In the automatic diagnosis of ocular toxoplasmosis (OT), Deep Learning (DL) has arisen as a powerful and promising approach for diagnosis. However, despite the good performance of the models, decision rules should be interpretable to elicit trust from the medical community. Therefore, the development of an evaluation methodology to assess DL models based on interpretability methods is a challenging task that is necessary to extend the use of AI among clinicians. In this work, we propose a novel methodology to quantify the similarity between the decision rules used by a DL model and an ophthalmologist, based on the assumption that doctors are more likely to trust a prediction that was based on decision rules they can understand. Given an eye fundus image with OT, the proposed methodology compares the segmentation mask of OT lesions labeled by an ophthalmologist with the attribution matrix produced by interpretability methods. Furthermore, an open dataset that includes the eye fundus images and the segmentation masks is shared with the community. The proposal was tested on three different DL architectures. The results suggest that complex models tend to perform worse in terms of likelihood to be trusted while achieving better results in sensitivity and specificity.

Ocular toxoplasmosis in immunocompetent adults: current cost-effectiveness of four treatment regimens in Colombia.

BACKGROUND: Ocular toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by Toxoplasma gondii. In South America, the clinical course of ocular toxoplasmosis is more severe than in Europe and North America because virulent strains of the parasite are present. Ocular toxoplasmosis is the leading cause of posterior uveitis and retinochoroiditis in Colombia, requiring timely and appropriate treatment. However, there is no standardized therapy protocol based on economic studies for the country. PURPOSE: To compare the cost-effectiveness of four first-line treatment regimens for active ocular toxoplasmosis in immunocompetent adults in Colombia, using the number of averted therapeutic failures as the outcome. METHODS: We performed an economic and cost-effectiveness analysis to compare four first-line treatment regimens for ocular toxoplasmosis from the perspective of a third-party payer (Colombian General System of Social Security in Health). A decision analysis tree was used over a 24-week time horizon, considering only direct costs. Additionally, we performed a discrete sensitivity analysis and a probabilistic sensitivity analysis with 10,000 iterations in the Monte Carlo simulation. RESULTS: For the base case, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole showed 86% effectiveness at a cost of <57 United States Dollars, resulting in the most cost-effective first-line alternative. When performing the probabilistic sensitivity analysis and maintaining the willingness to pay 466.00 United States Dollars, the trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole regimen remained the most cost-effective alternative. CONCLUSION: Ocular toxoplasmosis is a public health issue in Latin America. Despite severe visual consequences for affected patients, there are no standardized treatment guidelines in countries such as Colombia. Our evidence supports the use of trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole as first-line treatment in Colombia because of its availability and optimal cost-effectiveness performance; it reduces recurrences and complications, while averting therapeutic failure. Furthermore, our evidence can be generalized to other Latin American countries with similar frequencies and severities of Toxoplasma gondii ocular infection and health systems similar to the Colombian system.

Vision-Related Quality Of Life And Depression In Brazilian Patients With Toxoplasmic Retinochoroiditis.

PURPOSE: To investigate visual-related quality of life (VRQL) and prevalence and severity of depressive symptoms in Brazilian individuals with toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis (TRC). DESIGN: Comparative observational cross-sectional study. The National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire-25 (NEI-VFQ-25) and Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) were applied to respectively assess VRQL and depression in individuals consecutively seen at a uveitis referral center. Clinical/demographical data were collected. Descriptive/analytic statistics were employed, with P<0.05. RESULTS: Patients and controls were comparable concerning age, sex and socioeconomic level. VRQL scores for all subscales were significantly lower in TRC when compared with controls, particularly associated (P<0.05) with female sex, history of ≥2 prior TRC recurrences, concomitant use of systemic corticosteroids, monocular vision and blindness. Depressive symptoms were more prevalent in TRC (55/188; 29.2%) than in controls (34/182; 18.7%) (P=0.023), also being associated with lower VRQL scores (P<0.001). Seropositive and seronegative controls for toxoplasmosis had similar VRQL scores and comparable rates of depressive symptoms. CONCLUSION: TRC affects VRQL in Brazilian individuals, particularly women, using systemic corticosteroids, with visual impairment and presenting recurrences of TRC. One-third of patients with TRC had evidence of depression, which was also associated with lower VRQL scores. Mental health issues in subjects with TRC should not be overlooked.

Retinocoroiditis toxoplásmica y la evolución del resultado visual en pacientes inmunocompetentes / Toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis and the evolution of visual results in immunocompetent patients

Objetivo: Determinar la evolución del resultado visual en pacientes con toxoplasmosis ocular activa. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio observacional prospectivo longitudinal en 101 pacientes inmunocompetentes con toxoplasmosis ocular activa, atendidos en la consulta de Uveítis del Hospital General Docente "Abel Santamaría", desde enero de 2012 a diciembre de 2018. Se evaluaron las variables localización de la lesión, tamaño, número, episodio, grado de inflamación, complicaciones, recurrencia postratamiento y mejor agudeza visual corregida. Se analizaron los resultados utilizando frecuencias absolutas y relativas, la asociación estadística chi cuadrado, las pruebas U Mann-Whitney o Kruskall Wallis, Friedman y de rangos con signos de Wilcoxon. Resultados: Según la localización de la lesión, los resultados visuales inferiores se presentaron en los pacientes con lesiones en zona I y los mejores se obtuvieron cuando hubo afectación en zona III. Se mostró una mejor evolución del resultado visual en los que tuvieron lesiones menores o iguales a un diámetro papilar. Existió diferencia estadística entre los diferentes grados de gravedad de la inflamación, con tendencia al incremento de la mejor agudeza visual corregida en el tiempo, después del tratamiento. Conclusiones: Durante la evolución de los pacientes inmunocompetentes con toxoplasmosis ocular activa se logra mejoría de la visión(AU)

Objective: Determine the evolution of visual results in patients with active ocular toxoplasmosis. Methods: An observational longitudinal prospective study was conducted of 101 immunocompetent patients with active ocular toxoplasmosis attending the Uveitis Service at Abel Santamaría General University Hospital from January 2012 to December 2018. The variables evaluated were injury location, size, number, episode, degree of inflammation, complications, post-treatment recurrence and best corrected visual acuity. Results were analyzed with absolute and relative frequencies, chi-square statistical association, the Mann-Whitney U or Kruskall Wallis tests, the Friedman test and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results: According to injury location, the lowest visual results were obtained in patients with zone I lesions, whereas the best results corresponded to zone III lesions. A better visual result evolution was achieved in patients with lesions smaller than or equal to a papillary diameter. A statistical difference was found between the various degrees of inflammation severity, with a tendency to an increase in best corrected visual acuity with the passing of time after treatment. Conclusions: Visual improvement is achieved during the evolution of immunocompetent patients with active ocular toxoplasmosis(AU)