Cerebral toxoplasmosis (HE stain). Inflammatory infiltrate composed of lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils surrounding toxoplasmosis bradyzoites.
A team of scientists recommends that the World Health Organization consider toxoplasmosis a neglected tropical disease. The objective is to increase funding to combat and prevent the disease.
An international team of researchers is calling on the World Health Organization (WHO) to classify toxoplasmosis as a neglected tropical disease (NTD), arguing that greater recognition would help combat one of the world’s most widespread and neglected parasitic infections.
In a published in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, researchers warn that parasite Toxoplasma gondii infects about a third of the world’s population. Although most healthy people do not develop symptoms, the infection can have serious consequences, including serious eye disease, vision loss, miscarriage and potentially fatal complications in babies still in the womb, says the .
According to researchers, ocular toxoplasmosis is the main infectious cause of inflammation inside the eye worldwide and one of the main causes of preventable visual impairment. Despite its impact, they argue that the disease receives relatively little attention from global health authorities and attracts much less research funding than other infections with a comparable burden.
Humans can contract toxoplasmosis by consume undercooked meat contaminated with the parasite or by ingesting microscopic eggs of the parasite present in cat feceswhich can contaminate soil, water or food. The infection can also be transmitted from a newly infected pregnant woman to her fetus through the placenta, increasing the risk of miscarriage or serious congenital health problems.
The authors argue that toxoplasmosis meets all four WHO criteria necessary for classification as a neglected tropical disease, given that the infection disproportionately affects the poorest communities, is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, is preventable and controllable, and continues to receive insufficient funding in terms of research and investment in public health.
The researchers highlight the main gaps in knowledge about the parasite, highlighting that currently There is no vaccine or treatment protocol universally accepted. They estimate that about 190,000 babies are born with congenital toxoplasmosis each year, while the greatest burden of the disease falls on populations with limited access to health care, basic sanitation and clean water.
The team argues that official WHO recognition would unlock additional funding and would support coordinated efforts to improve screening, diagnosis, and treatment, particularly for congenital infections and ocular toxoplasmosis.
Furthermore, researchers advocate greater collaboration between healthcare professionals, veterinarians and public health authorities to strengthen disease prevention and control.
