Toxoplasmosis In Pregnancy

Toxoplasmosis in pregnancy is an infection caused by the parasitic protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite that can infect both certain types of animals and humans. Domestic cats constitute a fixed host and among the intermediaries we can point to certain birds and mammals.

Depending on the characteristics of the patient, clinical cases may or may not present symptoms. Additionally, these can vary in severity, treatment, and other properties.

Possible causes

Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by a kind of parasite. Currently, it is considered a mild disease that can be treated.

• Consumption of raw or undercooked meat and that this living being is housed.
• Ingestion of vegetables that have been in contact with feces from a cat that is also infected.
• Intake of contaminated water.
• Use culinary instruments that have been in contact with contaminated food.

• Receive blood, tissue or organ transfusions from a person who serves as a host for this parasite.

Consequences of suffering toxoplasmosis during pregnancy

Women who contract this disease during pregnancy can transmit it to the fetus. The chances of this process increase as the fetus develops or the time of pregnancy increases.

To avoid this problem, the corresponding medical team will perform routine tests on the patients. In this way, you can easily check if they are developing an infection and if transmission to the fetus is possible.

In any case, the experts will choose the best treatment options to solve any problems during this stage.

Experts usually recommend the administration of certain groups of drugs. Thus, the symptoms that the patient has developed can be controlled and solved. However, if the infection shows no signs or is mild in nature, doctors advise against any special treatment measures.

On the other hand, the consequences of toxoplasmosis in the fetus are aggravated in the earliest stages of pregnancy. This is because the tissues are forming and growing and any alteration can produce changes in the structures formed.

The damage can affect almost any tissue (brain, heart, eyes, etc.) and can even cause the death of the fetus in the most complicated clinical cases.

However, it is possible that the baby does not develop any symptoms during pregnancy but is latently infected. In that case, you may develop toxoplasmosis later in life.

Diagnosis

As a general rule, the medical team usually performs a series of checks to identify the cause of the alteration in the patient. In this way, other conditions with similar characteristics can be ruled out. For example, among the most frequent medical tests we can highlight:

• Checking the symptoms that the patient has developed so far. In addition, a review of the medical history and family history is usually performed normally.
• Routine tests such as blood tests. In this way, the corresponding doctor can check for an infection. To do this, the levels of antibodies that the blood sample has presented are studied.
• In case of pregnancy, other types of tests are usually carried out to check the presence of the parasite in the fetus. A sample of amniotic fluid or blood is removed for testing. Other tissues such as the placenta or the baby’s organs can also be analyzed to check their status.

In any case, we hope this article has been helpful in educating you about toxoplasmosis. If you have any questions on the subject, do not hesitate to go to your nearest medical team to solve them effectively.

On the other hand, it is important to clarify that a well-cared for feline pet does not have to pose a danger to the pregnant woman. However, hygiene measures and other precautions should always be kept in mind to reduce the risk of infection.