Abstract:
Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic zoonotic disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii that afflicts humans worldwide and wild
and domestic warm-blooded animals. In immunocompetent individuals, the acute phase of infection presents tran‐
sient low or mild symptoms that remain unnoticed. In immunocompromised patients, T. gondii is a life-threatening
opportunistic infection, which can result from the reactivation of latent infection or primary infection. Moreover, con‐
genital toxoplasmosis, which results from the transplacental passage of tachyzoites into the fetus during a pregnant
primary infection, can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, or ocular and neurologic disease, and neurocognitive deficits in
the newborns. Thus, the present review aims to address the current knowledge of T. gondii infection and toxoplasmo‐
sis in Africa and especially in Mozambique, stressing the importance of identifying risk factors and promote awareness
among the health care providers and population, assessing the gaps in knowledge and define research priorities.
In Mozambique, and in general in southern African countries, clinical disease and epidemiological data have not
yet been entirely addressed in addition to the implications of T. gondii infection in immunocompetent individuals,
in pregnant women, and its relation with neuropsychiatric disorders. The main gaps in knowledge in Mozambique
include lack of awareness of the disease, lack of diagnostic methods in health facilities, lack of genetic data, and lack of
control strategies
