A rare case of pulmonary toxoplasmosis in a patient with undifferentiated inflammatory arthritis on chronic methotrexate and corticosteroid therapy.

Authors

Abdullateef Abdulkareem, Department of Internal Medicine, Reading Hospital and Medical Center, West Reading, Pennsylvania, USA.Follow
Ryan Steven D'Souza, Department of Anesthesiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
Nitin Patel, Reading Health Physician Network Infectious Disease, Reading Hospital and Medicine Center, West Reading, Pennsylvania, USA.
Anthony A Donato, Department of Internal Medicine, Reading Hospital and Medical Center, West Reading, Pennsylvania, USA.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-23-2017

Abstract

Pulmonary toxoplasmosis is a serious pulmonary condition caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii It typically affects immunocompromised patients presenting acutely with cough, fever, myalgias, arthralgias and lymphadenopathy, and chronically with persistent cough and dyspnoea. Because of its protean features, it can mimic many more common lung conditions in the immunocompromised patient, including atypical pneumonia, Pneumocystis pneumonia and interstitial lung disease. In this article, we present the case of a 55-year-old woman who presented to our hospital with persistent dyspnoea and cough, initially suspected to have an arthritis-related interstitial lung disease. She received a final diagnosis of pulmonary toxoplasmosis after lung biopsy demonstrated Toxoplasma cysts, later confirmed by serology. Treatment with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole resulted in significant improvement of her respiratory symptoms after 3 months.

Publication Title

BMJ Case Rep

Volume

2017

Recommended Citation

Abdulkareem, A., D'Souza, R., Patel, N., & Donato, A. (2017). A rare case of pulmonary toxoplasmosis in a patient with undifferentiated inflammatory arthritis on chronic methotrexate and corticosteroid therapy.. BMJ Case Rep, 2017 https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2017-221252