Toxoplasmosis is a disease that often pass unnoticed, because no specific symptoms, so the highlighting of the parasite is done usually by specialist serological tests .
Toxoplasmosis is caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite met both humans and animals, which is manifested by clinical signs of encephalitis (disease caused by inflammation of the encephalon), chorioretinitis (inflammation of the choroid and retina) or pneumonia (inflammation of lung tissue generated by a viral or bacterial infection, manifested by high fever, pain cough, chills..
The disease is transmitted from domestic animals to human which are very commonly infected or during pregnancy, through the placenta from the infected mother to child. Infection in mother may be latent, about 30-40% of the population can be infected.
If you want to become pregnant, it is better that before this to be investigated, and discovered the immunity or lack of immunity to the disease. Evaluation can be done through a blood test which determine the presence or absence of antibodies. In the absence of antibodies, the woman is immune, and especially if it is already pregnant, require a special tracking Periodicals by serological examinations. Increasing the number of antibodies between two consecutive tests is evidence of recent infection with Toxoplasma. If the parasite was not transmitted to the fetus, during pregnancy, treatment should begin immediately.
Symptoms in toxoplasmosis:
Among the most common symptoms in toxoplasmosis include:
# Lymph adenopathy (swollen lymph nodes) are the most common symptoms in toxoplasmosis.
# Fever
# Headache
# Muscle pain
# Marked fatigue (chronic fatigue)
# Difficulty swallowing
# Rash
If is not treated properly it can lead eventually to the blindness of the patient. Other less serious manifestations of ocular toxoplasmosis are glaucoma or strabismus.
What are the risks of toxoplasmosis in pregnancy?
Toxoplasmosis in pregnant women is dangerous only in the acute stage when the parasite is found in the blood and can be transmitted through the placenta to the embryo. Any pregnant woman who is tested positive for Toxoplasma gondii, should follow a treatment with some antibiotics , able to block the multiplication of the parasite and its transmission to the fetus.
This acute disease in pregnancy is not always followed by transmitting the parasite to the fetus and to confirm this fact should made the amniocentesis (removal of small amounts of amniotic fluid). There are several types of tests of amniotic fluid, but the most accurate is DNA test.
Abdominal ultrasound probe can identify abnormalities of embryonic development, but have to mention that not all forms of congenital toxoplasmosis have identifiable ultrasound signs. Identification of ultrasound in malformations of the embryo, don’t let options than making a therapeutic abortion, there was no effective treatment for congenital toxoplasmosis.