Concurrent Ocular and Cerebral Toxoplasmosis in a Liver Transplant Patient Treated with Anti-CD40 Monoclonal Antibody

Toxoplasma gondii, an obligate intracellular parasitic protozoon, usually causes a mild, acute infection followed by a latent asymptomatic phase with tissue cysts or a chronic form with recurrent retinochoroiditis. However, immunocompromised patients can cause disseminated disease due to the reactivation of the latent tissue cysts or due to a primary infection. Here, we present a rare case of bilateral ocular toxoplasmosis and concurrent subacute toxoplasma encephalitis in a 70-year-old patient on anti-CD40 treatment following his liver transplant. The diagnosis was confirmed by PCR of anterior chamber fluid and brain biopsy, and no other sites of disseminated disease were detected on PET-CT. The patient has been treated with sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim 800/160 mg with virtually complete resolution of the neurological and ocular symptoms. Iatrogenic blockade of the CD40 pathway may elicit a particular susceptibility for CNS reactivation of T. gondii.

Automated summary

We present a rare case of bilateral ocular toxoplasmosis and concurrent subacute toxoplasma encephalitis in a 70-year-old patient on anti-CD40 treatment following his liver transplant. The patient has been successfully treated with sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim 800/160 mg, which led to complete resolution of the symptoms. Iatrogenic blockade of the CD40 pathway may increase susceptibility for CNS reactivation of T. gondii.