[Toxoplasmosis and chronic myeloid leukemia]

Nouv Rev Fr Hematol Blood Cells. 1976;16(2):169-84.
[Article in French]

Abstract

A patient suffering from chronic myeloid leukemia and used as a donor of leucocytes was found to have toxoplasmosis associated with a high level of IgG without an elevation of IgM which was maintained for several months. This case raises several points for discussion. Toxoplasmosis is a frequent complication of malignant hematological disease, it is often severe with neurological complications in more than half the patients affected. It is often difficult to diagnose. The parasite is arduous to isolate and serology is problematic to interpretate without reference to previous samples. This suggests it would be wise to measure the titre of anti-toxoplasma antibodies as part of the initial investigations of every malignant hemopathy and to repeat the measurements during the evolution of the disease. Any patient showing a high serological titre, even though it is stable and without IgM should be given systematically a specific treatment for toxoplasmosis, for as in the patient presented in this paper, such a serological picture is compatible with an increasing infection. The frequence of high serological titres seems to be greater among patients suffering from chronic myeloid leukemia than among another people. Then, transfusion of leucocytes of such patients may be the source of parasite transmission; this paper relates one case of post-transfusional toxoplasmosis.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Antibodies / analysis
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin M / analysis
  • Leukemia, Myeloid / complications*
  • Leukocytes
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Toxoplasma / immunology
  • Toxoplasmosis / complications*
  • Toxoplasmosis / transmission
  • Transfusion Reaction

Substances

  • Antibodies
  • Immunoglobulin M