Image Number 045 - Myocarditis, heart, toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasma gondii rarely involves the myocardium. It only does so in the immunocompromised patient when the infection disseminates throughout the body. This slide shows a distended myocardial fiber at about 5 o'clock on the screen. This muscle cell is filled with Toxoplasma pseudocysts. T. gondii is one of the most common causes of encephalitis in the AIDS patient.