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Table 3 Frequency of symptoms in outbreaks of meat-borne toxoplasmosis in humans in Australia, Brazil, France, and the United Kingdom

From: Outbreaks of clinical toxoplasmosis in humans: five decades of personal experience, perspectives and lessons learned

Location

Paraná, Brazil

Brisbane, Australia

Kyongsangbuk-do, South Korea, Korea

Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

São Paulo, Brazil

Aveyron, France

London, United Kingdom

References

[61]

[62]

[63]

[64]

[65]

[66]

[67]

Year of outbreak

1993

1994

1995

2005

2006

2010

NR

No. of patients

17b

12a

5e

10c

6d

5

3

Meat ingested

Lamb

Kangaroo meat

Pork

Pork

Beef

Lamb roast

Lamb

Incubation period (days)

6–13

3–25 (average 11)

30

6–23

1–8

30

8

Patients with symptoms (%)

 Fever

94.1

50.0

NR

70.0

100

80

100

 Lymphadenopathy

94.1

66.6

100

80.0

67.0

100

66.6

 Headache

94.1

50.0

NR

75.0

50.0

0

100

 Chills

NR

8.3

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

 Sweats

NR

33.3

NR

70.0

NR

NR

NR

 Decreased appetite

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

0

NR

 Fatigue

NR

16.6

NR

NR

NR

80.0

NR

 Myalgia

94.1

58.3

NR

80.0

83.0

80.0

100

 Anorexia

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

0

NR

 Sore throat

NR

25.0

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

 Arthralgia

94.1

NR

NR

NR

67.0

NR

NR

 Rash

11.8

8.3

NR

NR

17.0

NR

NR

 Confusion

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

0

NR

 Nausea

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

 Eye pain

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

0

NR

 Blurred vision

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

0

NR

 Ophthalmic

5.8

8.3

NR

10.0

NR

0

NR

 Abdominal pain

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

  1. NR = Not reported by patients or not recorded
  2. 0 = no symptoms
  3. aSixty persons attended a Christmas party. A variety of foods were served, but kangaroo meat was suspect because it was served rare. One woman with acute toxoplasmosis had a congenitally infected baby. Two patients had altered liver functions and atypical lymphocytosis
  4. bSymptoms lasted 1–10 days. Ten (62.5%) of 16 patients had fever higher than 39.5ºC from 6–9 days. One patient developed chorioretinitis 20 days after onset of symptoms. Other findings were hepatomegaly in 35.3% and splenomegaly in 23.5%
  5. cPossible ingestion of processed pork loin during a party. One patient had ocular lesions and vision loss 3 months after the first symptoms
  6. dAt a party, ingestion of raw ground beef was associated with T. gondii infection; six of 10 people who ingested beef became infected, while four who did not ingest were not infected. Hepatomegaly was diagnosed in 33.0%. A mother (30 weeks of pregnancy) delivered a dead fetus despite treatment with spiramycin, sulfadiazine, and pyrimethamine
  7. eOn 1 January 1995, five of eleven 20-year-old Korean soldiers feasted on raw liver and meat of a pig reared in a military compound. All suddenly developed lymphadenopathy within 1 week beginning 31 January. The diagnosis was confirmed by serological testing by multiple antibody test. The six persons without symptoms were seronegative