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Toxoplasmosis risk in HIV-infected adults: correlation with cat ownership?

Wallace MR, Olson PE, Rossetti RJ, Hill HE; International Conference on AIDS.

Int Conf AIDS. 1992 Jul 19-24; 8: B132 (abstract no. PoB 3275).

Infectious Disease Division, Naval Hospital, San Diego, California.

OBJECTIVES: To establish the incidence of toxoplasmosis (toxo) infection in a North American adult HIV population, and determine whether cat ownership increases the risk of toxo seroconversion. METHODS: We studied 723 HIV seropositive US Navy and Marine Corps personnel. Patients had a toxo IgG antibody determined on their initial evaluation and annually thereafter. Record review and telephone contacts ascertained whether documented seroconverters had a history of cat ownership in the period of observation. A survey of toxo nonconverters was also conducted to permit calculation of estimated relative risk associated with cat ownership. RESULTS: Serial toxo antibody results were available on 723 patients. Seventy (9.7%) were seropositive for toxo on their initial evaluation. Only 13 (2.0%) seronegative patients seroconverted to toxo during a 5 year follow-up period. Of the 13 toxo seroconverters a pet history was available for 12; only 1 of 12 had owned or lived in a household with a cat during the period of toxo seroconversion (8.3%). Nearly half (48.6%) of a random sample of 80 HIV-infected patients report cat ownership or close contact in the 5 year period. Evaluation of the calculated odds ratio (0.096) and attributable risk (-6.3 per 100 persons annually) strongly suggest that cat ownership does not predispose to seroconversion in this population. CONCLUSION: Toxoplasmosis antibody seroconversion in an adult U.S. HIV infected population is unusual; annual toxo antibody determinations yield little clinically useful data. Toxo seroconversion appears unrelated to cat ownership and advising toxo negative HIV-infected patients not to own cats is not supported by our data.

Publication Types:
  • Meeting Abstracts
Keywords:
  • AIDS Vaccines
  • Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
  • Adult
  • Animals
  • Animals, Domestic
  • Cats
  • Evaluation Studies
  • Felidae
  • Felis
  • HIV
  • HIV Antibodies
  • HIV Infections
  • HIV Seropositivity
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • Ownership
  • Toxoplasmosis
  • United States
Other ID:
  • 92401006
UI: 102198719

From Meeting Abstracts




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