Toxoplasmosis or no? (part 8)

Reading up on the appointments in the Andalucia Salud app the engineer encountered the report of a serologia analysis. Interested as he is the engineer studied it. 

Attentive readers will remember that extracting blood from the engineer went rather chaotically, not the engineer's fault, of course. Saturday 16/8 a vial was taken to detect Lyme/borrelia, Monday 18/8 the engineer was called back to the hospital in the evening because "they did not have enough", no one knew how or what, and two vials were extracted at the request of the engineer, and to determine later what to do with them. Tuesday 19/8 was a revision appointment at oftalmologia, that evening they called that the engineer was to present himself at the Sala de Extracciones, without breakfast. 6 vials were taken. Bloody vampires!

Informe serologia, AST, IGG, IGM

Anyway, the Salud Andalucia App has the report on serologia above,  "Fecha de toma de muestre" is "18/08/2025 21:25", so this must be those two vials taken in the late evening that they were to see what to do with.

The last lines discuss "toxoplasmosis", or "cat scratch disease".  It has an IgG of 32,8, which means: positive.  

And "IgM: Muestra insufficiente". Hm.

Also, there is quite  high value for "Alanina Transaminasa" (AST).  An article on toxoplasmosis in dogs says:

"The biochemistry profile usually reveals abnormally high levels liver enzymes ALT (alanine aminotransferase) and AST (aspartate aminotransferase)"

The engineer combined the 3:

- high AST

- high IgG

- missing IgM

and investigated.

IgG, IgM

"IgG" tells if you were exposed to toxoplasmosis in the past. That in itself is no cause for alarm, as the majority of people has been in contact with toxoplasmosis. At the age of 70 the vast majority of people is positive for IgG.

If you have a current and active toxoplasmosis infection your "IgM" is elevated. But not: missing.

Damn! Blast!

Ocular Toxoplasmosis

Yes, toxoplasmosis can affect the eyes, and the symptoms can be quite what the engineer has. 

Toxoplasmosis is not a bacteria, it's a one celled critter that is difficult to eradicate, not sensitive to antibiotics, and can go in hiding in cysts, also in the eye, and resurface after many many years. 10-20 or more years. Not good news.

You get toxoplasmosis from cat scratches, especially from kittens, cat poop, eating raw meat that is contaminated with the cysts, eating (raw) vegetables that are contaminated in the field, or by contacting contaminated soil.

The engineer is not a cat lover, due to allergies, and avoids cats. Nor is he an avid raw-meat eater, being semi vegetarian.  Raw vegetables: well.. yes! Lettuce comes washed, radishes, too. 

                       AAAAARGHHH!

Jensen Test

For Lyme/borrelia there is a test called the Jansen Test (see The engineer researches optical nerve inflammation and optical discs, and finds Lyme (part 3).

Hilariously for toxoplasmosis there is the Jensen Test, according to dr. Google (Ad Interim):

Urgencias (again)

Another visit to Urgencias, to see if any of the other blood tests has a complete analysis of IgM. Passed on to Oftalmologia again, as they cannot access the serologia report of the other two blood extractions at Urgencias.

Not the eye doctor who ordered the serologia:

"You don't have toxoplasmosis"

"But the symptoms..."

"You don't have toxoplasmosis, you have optic neuritis"

"But the IgM is missing"

"hm. Go to your Centro Salud for a new serologia with this request (paper)"

Could make the appointment in the App straight away, for 13:28 the same day at the "Enfermeria".

Enfermeria

Ah, no, blood extraction is only Wednesday and Friday, and you need to talk to the doctor first. So, that is an appointment next week, Tuesday 16 Sep.

Rationale

The engineer well believes the ophthalmologist that he does not think toxoplasmosis is the cause. It has quite specific lesions in the eye. On the other hand, if those lesions are not yet there you may still have toxoplasmosis. The engineer does not trust missing numbers due to "not enough sample blood available". His eye is bad enough as it is, and no time can be wasted.

The engineer wonders if they have ever had a patient challenging them on IgG and IgM numbers.

And that Nobel prize committee still has not called. Maybe this afternoon?

PS

No immunodeficiency virus. Good.