Recurrent ocular toxoplasmosis is associated with interferon-gamma deficiency possibly due to genetic origin.

Ocular toxoplasmosis (OT) can cause posterior uveitis; causes of recurrent OT are not well understood. We explored clinical, immunological and genetic properties associated with recurrent OT. A recurrent OT patient population (n=9) was identified. Clinical history, ophthalmological findings and immunological properties were assessed. B and T cell immunophenotyping including interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) responses were analysed. An analysis of 592 immunodeficiency genes was performed. The patients experienced 2-7 OT episodes (average 3.7). The first episode occurred at an average of 23.8 (SD 10.1) years of age. All patients had anterior uveitis, vitritis and various fundus lesions of OT. The patients had lymphocyte maturation abnormalities; the proportion of naive CD4 Our recurrent OT cases had deviations in lymphocyte maturation and IFN-γ responses possibly caused by genetic reasons. However, limitations of our study include failure to identify uniform genetic mechanisms. In addition, we cannot rule out the possibility that the immunological abnormalities can be triggered by chronic toxoplasmosis. Despite the limitations, our findings contribute to the understanding of ocular immunity and development of recurrent OT.

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Competing interests: None declared.