Clinical and Serological Characteristics of Ocular Toxoplasmosis in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Abstract

Purpose: To describe demographic data, clinical features, and serological profiles in a cohort of Congolese patients with ocular toxoplasmosis (OT). Method: Cross-sectional study, carried out between March 2020 and July 2021 in two ophthalmic clinics in Kinshasa. Results: The study comprised 95 participants with OT. Fifty-three patients were male (55.8%). The mean age at presentation was 35.6 ± 14.1 years (range 8–69 years); 71 had active OT (74.7%), among them, 33 had primary OT (46.5%), and 38 had recurrences (53.5%). At presentation, 51 patients (53.7%) had visual impairment (VA < 6/18). Retinochoroidal lesions were located in the central retina in 60 patients (63.1%). Patients with primary OT tend to have higher IgG levels than those with recurrent OT (P = .01). Conclusion: We report the largest cohort of patients with OT in sub-Saharan Africa. In our setting, most patients had recurrent OT with multiple, extensive, and central retinochoroidal lesions.