CDC STACKS serves as an archival repository of CDC-published products including scientific findings, journal articles, guidelines, recommendations, or other public health information authored or co-authored by CDC or funded partners.
As a repository, CDC STACKS retains documents in their original published format to ensure public access to scientific information.
i
Public Health Surveillance and Reporting for Human Toxoplasmosis — Six States, 2021
-
7 15 2022
-
-
Source: MMWR Morbidity Mortal Weekly Rep. 71(28):889-893
[PDF-156.23 KB]
Details:
-
Journal Article:Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
-
Personal Author:
-
Description:Toxoplasmosis is caused by infection with the zoonotic parasite Toxoplasma gondii. Although disease tends to be mild (e.g., self-limiting influenza-like symptoms) or asymptomatic in immunocompetent persons, toxoplasmosis is more severe in immunocompromised persons, who can develop potentially fatal encephalopathy (1). In addition, primary infections acquired during pregnancy might result in a range of adverse outcomes, including fetal ocular infection, cranial and neurologic deformities, stillbirth, and miscarriage (1,2). An estimated 11% of the U.S. population aged ≥6 years are seropositive for toxoplasmosis, based on analysis of sera collected through the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey during 2011-2014 (3). Toxoplasmosis is not a nationally notifiable disease in the United States, and currently no national public health surveillance data are available; however, it is reportable in eight states. To better understand how surveillance data are collected and used, reviews of state-level toxoplasmosis surveillance were conducted during June-July 2021 using semistructured interviews with health officials in six states (Arkansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin) where toxoplasmosis is currently reportable. Why or when toxoplasmosis became reportable could not be determined, and many of the states had limited capacity to respond to reported cases. Case definitions varied considerably in terms of clinical description, laboratory criteria, and case classification (i.e., confirmed, probable, or suspect), limiting disease estimates and comparisons among states. Implementation of a standardized case definition would help ensure that cases are counted consistently, enabling better use of surveillance data to characterize disease. Identifying newly acquired cases is challenging because most acute cases among immunocompetent persons (including pregnant women) are asymptomatic, disease among immunocompromised persons is likely reactivation of latent disease, and congenital infections might not manifest until later in life.
-
Subjects:
-
Source:
-
Series:
-
DOI:
-
ISSN:0149-2195 (print);1545-861X (digital);
-
Pubmed ID:35834417
-
Pubmed Central ID:PMC9290386
-
Document Type:
-
Place as Subject:
-
Pages in Document:5 pdf pages
-
Volume:71
-
Issue:28
-
Collection(s):
-
Main Document Checksum:
-
Download URL:
-
File Type:
