Vol.102 No.10 contentsPRACTICA OTO-RHINO-LARYNGOLOGICA
Vol. 102 No. 10 October 2009
Intraparotid Gland Toxoplasmosis Lymphadenitis: A Case Report
Takayuki Imai, Ryoko Watanabe and Kiyoshi Hiruma
(Tokyo Metropolitan Cancer and Infectious Diseases Center Komagome Hospital)
Toxoplasmosis, a usually asymptomatic protozoan infection caused by the coccidian Toxoplasma gondii, is mainly acquired by ingesting cat-shed oocysts or by eating raw meat containing tissue cysts. Infection may cause cervical lymphadenitis. Toxoplasmosis manifesting as a parotid mass is very rare. We report a case of intraparotid gland toxoplasmosis lymphadenitis mimicking a parotid gland tumor. A 30-year-old man seen for a rapidly growing parotid gland mass underwent superficial parotidectomy, for suspected parotid gland carcinoma. Histopathological results indicated toxoplasmosis lymphadenitis, and serological findings showed elevated toxoplasma IgM and IgG antibodies, yielding a definitive diagnosis of intraparotid gland toxoplasmosis lymphadenitis. Localized toxoplasmosis disease usually requires no treatment. The man remained asymptomatic at 5-month follow-up. He had a history of eating raw meat before the event, so, we assume that the infection was transmitted via raw meat containing tissue cysts.
Key words :Toxoplasmosis lymphadenitis, Toxoplasma gondii, parotid gland