Toxoplasma gondii  infection in immunodepressed patients

Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite that causes toxoplasmosis, capable of infecting a wide range of hosts, including humans. Its severity depends on the risk factors of each person, with the immune status being one of the main ones. Thus, immunocompromised patients, such as HIV/AIDS patients, represent a vulnerable group. This microorganism can trigger a clinical condition that completely compromises the patient's life. Objective: Describe how Toxoplasma gondii acts in immunosuppressed patients and recognize how the immune status is associated with the intensity and severity of clinical manifestations. Method: A historical bibliographic review was carried out, obtaining information from SciELO, Scopus, PubMed, Google Scholar and Web of Science databases, between 2019 and 2024, in addition to relevant publications from classical literature. Results and conclusions: Toxoplasmosis in immunocompromised patients is potentially fatal. The impaired immune status allows the spread of the pathogen to accelerate and thus generate a multi-organ infection. Toxoplasma encephalitis is the most common clinical presentation, where headache, fever and loss of consciousness prevail, and can lead to seizures and death if the disease progresses.