Ferreira M S
Disciplina de Doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Rua Goiás 480/500, 38400-027 Uberlândia, MG, Brasil.
Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 2000;95 Suppl 1:159-62. doi: 10.1590/s0074-02762000000700026.
Protozoa are among the most important pathogens that can cause infection in immunocompromised patients. They infect particularly individuals with impaired cell immunity, such as those with hematologic neoplasias, those submitted to transplant of solid organs, those under high-dose corticosteroid therapy, and carriers of the human immunodeficiency virus. Among the protozoa that most commonly cause disease in immunocompromised individuals are Toxoplasma gondii, Trypanosoma cruzi, Cryptosporidium parvum, Isospora belli, Cyclospora cayetanensis and microsporidia; the former two cause severe encephalitis and myocarditis, and the others cause gastrointestinal infections. Early diagnosis and prompt institution of specific therapy for each of these organisms are basic measures to decrease morbidity and mortality associated with these infections.
原生动物是可导致免疫功能低下患者感染的最重要病原体之一。它们特别感染细胞免疫受损的个体，例如患有血液系统肿瘤的患者、接受实体器官移植的患者、接受大剂量皮质类固醇治疗的患者以及人类免疫缺陷病毒携带者。在免疫功能低下个体中最常引起疾病的原生动物有刚地弓形虫、克氏锥虫、微小隐孢子虫、贝氏等孢球虫、卡耶塔环孢子球虫和微孢子虫；前两者会引起严重的脑炎和心肌炎，其他的则会引起胃肠道感染。对这些病原体中的每一种进行早期诊断并及时开展特异性治疗，是降低与这些感染相关的发病率和死亡率 的基本措施。
