Making the Diagnosis
Normally, Toxoplasma infection is easily detected by looking for
antibodies to the parasite in a blood sample. The only exception to this
rule is people with AIDS who have severe disease, but whose immune systems are
too weak to produce detectable antibodies. Usually the disease is in the brain,
and the doctor will use a computed tomography (CT) scan or magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI) scan to locate small round lesions that are highly
suggestive of toxoplasmosis.