Toxoplasmosis Gondii: From discovery to advancens in image processing

Abstract

Toxoplasmosis is one of the most frequent parasitic diseases in the world, and the Toxoplasma gondii causes it, an obligate intracellular parasite that infects its hosts through the consumption of raw or under-cooked meat, vertical transmission, milk consumption without pasteurization, blood transfusions and contact contaminated environments. Given the wide geographical distribution of this parasite, many people may be infected in the latent phase. Because of the above, this study aims to carry out a bibliographical review of the literature demonstrating the parasitic cycle and especially the ways of diagnosis of the disease. Immunological diagnoses are of great importance, however, and the recent creation of new magnetic resonance imaging tools has been promising and may be used as a detection method for Toxoplasma gondii cysts in the future. Only the creation of new technology can lead to increasingly accurate, reliable diagnoses, being able to lead patients to the right pathways faster and even avoiding more serious consequences of the disease, caused by the delay in diagnosis.