Objective The clinical features, disease course and visual outcomes of toxoplasmosis are less commonly reported in China than in other countries. To reduce misdiagnosis and improve visual function, the clinical characteristics, management and visual outcomes of 13 cases of ocular toxoplasmosis (OT) were described.
Methods This retrospective study included 14 eyes of 13 patients who were diagnosed with OT in Hubei, China. The clinical characteristics, course of treatment and outcomes are presented. There were 7 males and 6 females.
Results The main form of OT was retinochoroiditis with vitritis or anterior uveitis. Next-generation sequencing was applied to 3 eyes, and positive results were found in those eyes. Thirteen patients were positive for Toxoplasma gondii IgG antibodies, and 3 of them were also positive for IgM T. gondiiantibodies. One patient with acquired immune deficiency syndrome was diagnosed with coinfection with OT and cytomegalovirus, as evidenced by an aqueous humor etiological test. Three patients were misdiagnosed with noninfectious uveitis. Recurrence occurred in 3 eyes during the follow-up periods. One patient who received vitreous implantation of Ozurdex therapy at another hospital before referral relapsed. One patient who received
sulfadiazine, azithromycin and glucocorticoid therapy relapsed. One patient who received sulfadiazine therapy experienced relapse. Patients who received clindamycin and sulfadiazine or who received clindamycin only did not experience recurrence during the follow-up period. The best corrected visual acuity was improved in 6 eyes after inflammation resolved.
Conclusions Primary active retinochoroiditis is the main form of OT in Hubei, China. Timely correct diagnosis on the basis of ocular characteristics and aetiological test results and effective treatment should be adopted to prevent poor visual outcomes and recurrence.
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Huazhong University of Science and Technology 2025
Data Availability All data were presented in the manuscript.
Declarations
Conflict of Interest The authors declared no competing interests.
Ethical Approval and Consent to Participate This research was a retrospective study. All methods were carried out in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. All study participants consented to the publication of his/her clinical data. For patients under 18 years old, guardian(s) signed the informed consent forms.
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Funding
Funding Hubei Natural Science Foundation of China(2022CFB296)
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