Toxoplasmosis—Kidney Diseases

Also called: Renal disease

You have two kidneys, each about the size of your fist. They are near the middle of your back, just below the rib cage. Inside each kidney there are about a million tiny structures called nephrons. They filter your blood. They remove wastes and extra water, which become urine. The urine flows through tubes called ureters. It goes to your bladder, which stores the urine until you go to the bathroom.

Most kidney diseases attack the nephrons. This damage may leave kidneys unable to remove wastes. Causes can include genetic problems, injuries, or medicines. You have a higher risk of kidney disease if you have diabetes, high blood pressure, or a close family member with kidney disease. Chronic kidney disease damages the nephrons slowly over several years. Other kidney problems include

• Cancer
• Cysts
• Stones
• Infections

Your doctor can do blood and urine tests to check if you have kidney disease. If your kidneys fail, you will need dialysis or a kidney transplant.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

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• Atheroembolic renal disease (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Bartter syndrome (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Bilateral hydronephrosis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Congenital nephrotic syndrome (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Distal renal tubular acidosis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Glomerulonephritis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Goodpasture syndrome (Medical Encyclopedia)
• IgA nephropathy (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Injury – kidney and ureter (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Interstitial nephritis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Kidney removal (Medical Encyclopedia)
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• Medicines and Kidney Disease – NIH (National Kidney Disease Education Program)
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• Proximal renal tubular acidosis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Reflux nephropathy (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Renal papillary necrosis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Renal vein thrombosis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Unilateral hydronephrosis (Medical Encyclopedia)

Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii. More than 60 million people in the U.S. have the parasite. Most of them don’t get sick. But the parasite causes serious problems for some people. These include people with weak immune systems and babies whose mothers become infected for the first time during pregnancy. Problems can include damage to the brain, eyes, and other organs.

You can get toxoplasmosis from

• Waste from an infected cat
• Eating contaminated meat that is raw or not well cooked
• Using utensils or cutting boards after they’ve had contact with contaminated raw meat
• Drinking infected water
• Receiving an infected organ transplant or blood transfusion

Most people with toxoplasmosis don’t need treatment. There are drugs to treat it for pregnant women and people with weak immune systems.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• Congenital toxoplasmosis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Toxoplasma test (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Toxoplasmosis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Toxoplasmosis: An Important Message for Cat Owners (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) – PDF
• Toxoplasmosis: An Important Message for Women (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) – PDF