Prevention of congenital toxoplasmosis
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Walter Foulon
Abstract
In utero infection with Toxoplasma gondii may result in congenital defects such as hydrocephalus, chorioretinitis and mental retardation; these defects may be present at birth or may develop later in life.
Prevention of this disease can be achieved in different ways. The most effective measure is to prevent the acquisition of the disease during pregnancy by avoiding risk factors for Toxoplasma gondii infection. Health education may decrease the incidence of toxoplasmosis during pregnancy by 60%. A second preventive measure is based on serologic screening during pregnancy to identify infected women. Treatment during pregnancy results in a significant reduction in the incidence of sequelae including severe handicaps. A third possible intervention is treating infected neonates. Antibiotic treatment of infected children has a beneficial effect on the development of sequelae and the sooner therapy is started after birth, the better the outcome.
This overview presents the potential benefits and harms of these different options available for the prevention of congenital toxoplasmosis.
Copyright (c)2000 by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG
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- Prevention of congenital toxoplasmosis
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- Changes in lymphocyte subsets during pregnancy and post-partum in cases of beginning eclampsia
- Plasma purine turnover metabolites in women with normal pregnancy and pregnancy complicated with induced hypertension as compared to fetal well-being indices
- Candida endocarditis in a premature infant
- Fetal diagnosis of atrioventricular septal defect with dextrocardia in trisomy 18
- Sacrococcygeal teratoma with hydrops fetalis and bilateral hydronephrosis
Articles in the same Issue
- Prevention of congenital toxoplasmosis
- Stem cell therapy in utero
- Neonatal nucleated red blood cell counts in small-for-gestational-age fetuses: relationship to fetoplacental Doppler studies
- Cerebral hemodynamics after exogenous surfactant administration for respiratory distress syndrome in piglet model
- Administration of interferon-α during pregnancy: effects on fetus
- Fetal cardiovascular function during prolonged magnesium sulfate tocolysis
- Il-1β, Il-6, Il-8 and G-CSF in the diagnosis of early-onset neonatal infections
- Changes in lymphocyte subsets during pregnancy and post-partum in cases of beginning eclampsia
- Plasma purine turnover metabolites in women with normal pregnancy and pregnancy complicated with induced hypertension as compared to fetal well-being indices
- Candida endocarditis in a premature infant
- Fetal diagnosis of atrioventricular septal defect with dextrocardia in trisomy 18
- Sacrococcygeal teratoma with hydrops fetalis and bilateral hydronephrosis
