CNS Toxoplasmosis: Sensitivity and Specificity

Introduction: Infection of the brain parenchyma by Toxoplasma, almost exclusively seen in HIV/AIDS patients. Often presents as a ring-enhancing lesion.

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Differential Diagnoses include: Lymphoma, CNS

The sensitivity and specificity of findings for CNS Toxoplasmosis are listed below. See the left navigation bar to change the display.

Sensitive and Specific Findings

Finding	Sensitivity	Specificity	Comments, Study
PET/CT scan	90.9%	100%	in patients with HIV, versus CNS lymphoma Differential Diagnosis: Lymphoma, CNS Study: Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2013 Sep;40(9):1420-7. PMID: 23685752
Thallium-201 SPECT	100%	90%	However, an abstract found that thallium overdiagnoses lymphoma (5/8 patients thought to have toxoplasmosis by Thallium were found to have lymphoma by PET/CT). Differential Diagnosis: Lymphoma, CNS Study: J Nucl Med. 1996 Jul;37(7):1150-4. PMID: 8965186 J Nucl Med. 2006; 47 (Supplement 1):303P http://jnumedmtg.snmjournals.org/cgi/content/short/47/suppl_1/303P-a