Background :Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite that can infect most mammals and some birds. Ocular toxoplasmosis is not uncommon disease causing posterior uveitis and retinochorodidtis and sight-threatening complications do occur. Objectives: Study on ocular toxoplasmosis in serologically proved some
immunocompetent patients and to find out the efficiency of Spiramycin on the improvement of the ocular lesions in acute and chronic cases. Patients and methods: The study was done on ten female patients aged ( 18-40 years) attending ophthalmology outpatient clinic among a period from January to December 2009 complaining of hazy vision and sudden decrease of the visual acuity. IgM and IgG Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (BioCheck,Inc Kit) was performed to estimate the course of toxoplasmosis.
Results: Ten eyes of 7 cases proved to have active (primary or recurrent) Toxoplasma ocular manifestations and were selected after exclusion of other diseases affecting the retina as diabetes or causes of posterior uveitis . Out of the examined patients , ELISA proved that 7 cases were IgM positive ( acute toxoplasmosis) while 3 were IgG positive (chronic cases) Toxoplasma M index of 1.00 or greater. Ocular lesions were confirmed by fundus
fluorescein angiography (FFA). Treatment with Spiramycin (3million I U) twice daily for one month showed that it was successful in acute cases only. Conclusion Toxoplasmosis may cause serious lesions and sight threatening so empirical treatment must be done for cases complaining of decreased visual acuity as early treatment of IgM positive cases gives good result