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Oocyst-Transmitted Toxoplasmosis Associated with Ingestion of Contaminated Water

List of authors.
  • Michael W. Benenson, M.D., M.P.H.,
  • Ernest T. Takafuji, M.D., M.P.H.,
  • Stanley M. Lemon, M.D.,
  • Robert L. Greenup,
  • and Alexander J. Sulzer, Ph.D.

HUMAN infection with Toxoplasma gondii may result from the ingestion of either the tissue cyst, which is found in certain meats, or the oocyst, which is shed in the feces of cats.1 2 3 4 5 Although epidemic toxoplasmosis is uncommon, a large outbreak of acute toxoplasmosis has occurred in a battalion of U.S. Army soldiers trained in the Panama Canal area. Between January 27 and February 18, 1979, 600 soldiers of the 1st Battalion of the 508th Infantry attended a three-week training course in the jungle in Panama. During the two weeks after their return to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, 39 of the . . .

Funding and Disclosures

The opinions or assertions contained herein are the private views of the authors and are not to be construed as official or as reflecting the views of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or Department of Health and Human Services.

We are indebted to Drs. J. Remington, L. Hendricks, P. Smyth, R. Fayer, and M. Lunde for their helpful advice, assistance, and laboratory support; to the members of the 1st Battalion, 508th Infantry; Surgeon's Office, 82nd Airborne Division; and to the U.S. Army Medical Department Activity at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, for their cooperation and assistance.

Author Affiliations

From the Divisions of Preventive Medicine and Communicable Diseases and Immunology, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Washington, D.C.; Preventive Medicine Activity, U.S. Army Medical Department Activity, Fort Bragg, N.C.; and the Parasitology Division, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta. Address reprint requests to Dr. Takafuji at the Division of Preventive Medicine, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Washington, DC 20012.

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