Acquired Toxoplasmosis Accompanied by Facial Nerve Palsy in an Immunocompetent 5-Year-Old Child

Acquired toxoplasmosis, although relatively common in children, is usually asymptomatic but can also be clinically manifested by a benign and self-limited infectious mononucleosis-like syndrome. Neurological complications are very rare in immunocompetent children. The authors report a 5-year-old boy...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Journal of child neurology Vol. 25; no. 12; pp. 1525 - 1528
Main Authors:	Galli-Tsinopoulou, Assimina, Kyrgios, Ioannis, Giannopoulou, Eleni Z., Gourgoulia, Styliani, Maggana, Ioanna, Katechaki, Elina, Chatzidimitriou, Dimitrios, Evangeliou, Athanasios E.
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01-12-2010
Subjects:	Animals Benign Blood Brain Child, Preschool Children Facial nerve Facial Nerve - immunology Facial Nerve - parasitology Facial Nerve Diseases - diagnosis Facial Nerve Diseases - immunology Facial Nerve Diseases - parasitology Folic acid Humans Immunoglobulin M Inflammation Lymphadenopathy Magnetic resonance imaging Male Neurological complications Paralysis Pediatrics Polymerase chain reaction Pyrimethamine Retina Sulfadiazine Toxoplasma gondii Toxoplasmosis Toxoplasmosis - complications Toxoplasmosis - diagnosis Toxoplasmosis - immunology Treatment Outcome cervical lymphadenopathy facial nerve paralysis Toxoplasma gondii
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Summary:	Acquired toxoplasmosis, although relatively common in children, is usually asymptomatic but can also be clinically manifested by a benign and self-limited infectious mononucleosis-like syndrome. Neurological complications are very rare in immunocompetent children. The authors report a 5-year-old boy who presented with cervical lymphadenopathy because of acquired toxoplasmosis accompanied with unilateral facial nerve paralysis. Toxoplasma gondii DNA detection in blood by polymerase chain reaction, as well as elevated specific immunoglobulin M antibodies against it, established the diagnosis. Characteristic brain lesions on magnetic resonance imaging were absent and ophthalmologic examination revealed no inflammatory lesions in the retina and choroid. Treatment with pyrimethamine, sulfadiazine, and folic acid resulted in a complete recovery after 2 months of therapy. Although rare, acute facial nerve paralysis of unknown origin can be caused by acquired toxoplasmosis even in the immunocompetent pediatric population. Elevated titers of specific antibodies and the presence of parasite’s DNA are key findings for the correct diagnosis.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Case Study-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-4 content type line 23 ObjectType-Report-1 ObjectType-Article-3 ObjectType-Article-2 ObjectType-Feature-1
ISSN:	0883-0738 1708-8283
DOI:	10.1177/0883073810370480