Cotrimoxazole is effective as primary prophylaxis for toxoplasmic encephalitis in HIV-infected patients: A case control study

In a case-control study, prophylaxis with cotrimoxazole for toxoplasmic encephalitis (TE) in HIV-infected patients was evaluated, Cotrimoxazole had been given as PCP prophylaxis. 20 patients with TE mere identified and 72 matching control cases mere found. All patients had IgG-antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii and CD4(+) T-cell counts less than or equal to 100/mu l. The use and duration of cotrimoxazole prophylaxis were recorded, It was found that among the patients with TE, none had used cotrimoxazole for >70% of the observation time, and that the 1-y incidence was 0% in the control group vs. 41% in those patients without sufficient cotrimoxazole use, The conclusion is that cotrimoxazole is effective as primary prophylaxis for TE, even in a dose of 480 mg daily.