Introducing
Your new presentation assistant.
Refine, enhance, and tailor your content, source relevant images, and edit visuals quicker than ever before.
Trending searches
congenital toxoplasmosis
Congenital Toxoplasmosis
What Is Congenital Toxoplasmosis?
The congenital toxoplasmosis infection occurs in fetuses whose mothers test positive for the Toxoplasma gondii infection. Pregnant mums transmit this infection to their unborn baby by a process called transplacental transmission. This disease can cause miscarriage or stillbirth in severe cases but may also cause progressive visual, hearing, motor, cognitive, and other problems in the fetus.
Signs and Symptoms in Newborn?
50% of unborn babies who become infected with toxoplasmosis during the pregnancy will be born prematurely. The infection in the baby damages multiple organ systems including the eyes, nervous system, skin, and ears…
The majority of newborns will suffer from:
- An enlarged liver and spleen
- Swollen lymph nodes (lymphadenopathy)
- Vomiting
- Eye damage from inflammation of the retina or other parts of the eye
- Feeding problems
- Hearing loss
- Jaundice (yellow skin)
- Low birth weight (intrauterine growth restriction)
- Skin rash (tiny red spots or bruising) at birth
- Vision problems
In more severe cases where brain and nervous system damage is present the newborns will suffer from:
- Fluid on the brain (hydrocephalus)
- Large head size (macrocephaly) or smaller-than-normal head size (microcephaly)
- Seizures
- Intellectual disability
How does the Mum contract Toxoplasmosis?
Pregnant mums may contract this parasite by:
* Eating undercooked, contaminated meat (pork, lamb, and venison) or shellfish (oysters, clams or mussels).
*Drinking water contaminated with Toxoplasma gondii parasites.
*Accidentally swallowing the parasite through contact with cat feces that contain Toxoplasma. This might happen during:
- Cleaning a cat’s litter box when the cat has shed Toxoplasma in its feces;
- Touching or ingesting anything that has come into contact with cat feces (such as garden grown vegetables etc)
*Receiving an infected organ transplant or infected blood via transfusion, (though this is rare).
Diagnosis Of Toxoplasmosis?
Tests that may be done during pregnancy include:
- Amniotic fluid testing and fetal blood testing
- Antibody titer
- Ultrasound of the abdomen
After birth, the following tests may be done on the baby:
- Antibody studies on cord blood and cerebrospinal fluid
- CT scan of the brain
- MRI scan of the brain
- Neurological exams
- Standard eye exam
- Toxoplasmosis test
Treatment Of Toxoplasmosis?
Spiramycin is the drug of choice that is used to treat infection in the pregnant mother.
Pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine can be used to treat fetal infection (diagnosed during the pregnancy).
Treatment of infants with congenital toxoplasmosis most often includes pyrimethamine, sulfadiazine, and leucovorin for one year and newborns will also be administered steroids if their vision is threatened or if the protein level in the spinal fluid is high.