What is the Difference Between Histoplasmosis and Toxoplasmosis

The key difference between histoplasmosis and toxoplasmosis is that histoplasmosis is an infection of the lungs caused by a fungus called Histoplasma capsulatum, while toxoplasmosis is an infection of the central nervous system caused by Toxoplasma gondii.

Histoplasmosis and toxoplasmosis are two infections caused by microorganisms in humans. There are several ways histoplasmosis resembles toxoplasmosis. This is because, in both cases, people who are infected never realize it; often, they have flu-like symptoms. Immunocompromised people are at greater risk, and severe infections may result in brain damage or death. Moreover, as these infections bring severe complications, immediate medical treatments are needed.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Histoplasmosis 
3. What is Toxoplasmosis
4. Similarities – Histoplasmosis and Toxoplasmosis
5. Histoplasmosis vs Toxoplasmosis in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Histoplasmosis vs Toxoplasmosis

What is Histoplasmosis?

Histoplasmosis is an infection caused by breathing spores of a fungus called Histoplasma capsulatum, normally found in bird and bat droppings. People usually get it from breathing in these spores when they become airborne during cleanup projects. Other than that, the soil that is contaminated by bird or bat droppings can also spread histoplasmosis. This puts farmers and landscapers at a higher risk of the disease. This disease normally can be seen in countries like America, Africa, Australia, in parts of Central and South America.

The symptoms of histoplasmosis may include fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, dry cough, chest pain, tiredness, joint pain, rash, weight loss, and bloody cough. The complications of histoplasmosis are acute respiratory distress syndrome, heart problems, adrenal insufficiency, and meningitis. Moreover, histoplasmosis diagnosis may include medical and travel history, physical examination, testing lung secretions, blood, urine, lung tissue (biopsy), and bone marrow. Furthermore, itraconazole is an antifungal medication that is commonly used to treat histoplasmosis. The cause of the treatment can range from 3 months to 1 year.

What is Toxoplasmosis?

Toxoplasmosis is an infection of the central nervous system that is caused by Toxoplasma gondii. Toxoplasma gondii is one of the most common parasites. The infection normally occurs when eating undercooked contaminated meat, exposed to cat feces, and mother to child during pregnancy. Symptoms of toxoplasmosis may include body aches, swollen lymph nodes, headaches, fever, fatigue, confusion, poor coordination, seizures, lung problems, and blurred vision. In babies, it causes problems such as seizures, enlarged liver and spleen, yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice), and severe eye infections. The complications that result from toxoplasmosis are blindness, encephalitis, hearing loss, and mental disability.

Toxoplasmosis can be diagnosed through physical examination, blood tests, antibody testing, amniocentesis, ultrasound (for babies), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and brain scan. Furthermore, toxoplasmosis is treated through medications such as pyrimethamine (daraprim), sulfadiazine, folinic acid (leucovorin), and clindamycin (Cleocin). Precautions for preventing toxoplasmosis include wearing gloves when in the garden or handling soil, not eating raw or undercooked meat, not drinking unpasteurized milk, and avoiding stray cats or kittens.

What are the Similarities Between Histoplasmosis and Toxoplasmosis?

• Histoplasmosis and toxoplasmosis are two infections that are caused by microorganisms in humans.
• Both infections cause lung and brain damage.
• In both cases, people who are infected never realize it and often experience flu-like symptoms, and immunocompromised people are at greater risk, and severe infections may result in brain damage or death.
• They are treated through specific medications.

What is the Difference Between Histoplasmosis and Toxoplasmosis?

Histoplasmosis is an infection of the lungs by a fungus called Histoplasma capsulatum, while toxoplasmosis is an infection of the central nervous system caused by Toxoplasma gondii. Thus, this is the key difference between histoplasmosis and toxoplasmosis. Furthermore, the transmission of histoplasmosis is through contacting airborne fungal spores from bird or bat droppings. On the other hand, the transmission of toxoplasmosis is through eating undercooked contaminated meat, exposure to cat faces, and mother to child during pregnancy.

The below infographic presents the differences between histoplasmosis and toxoplasmosis in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Histoplasmosis vs Toxoplasmosis

Histoplasmosis and toxoplasmosis are two infections that are caused by microorganisms in humans. These are zoonotic diseases. Histoplasmosis is an infection of the lungs. It occurs when breathing fungal spores in the bat or bird droppings. Histoplasma capsulatum is the causative agent of histoplasmosis. Toxoplasmosis is an infection of the central nervous system. It is caused by Toxoplasma gondii. So, this summarizes the difference between histoplasmosis and toxoplasmosis.

Reference:

1. “Histoplasmosis.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.
2. Holm, Gretchen. “How to Identify and Treat Toxoplasmosis Infection.” Healthline, Healthline Media.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Histoplasma pas-d” By Nephron – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Toxoplasmosis Cycle(1)” By Ilovericexoxo – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia