How does toxoplasmosis affect the unborn child?
How do people get toxoplasmosis?
Where can I get more information about toxoplasmosis?
What is toxoplasmosis?
Toxoplasmosis is a disease that women, especially pregnant women, should know about. It is caused by infection with a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii, and an estimated half of the population carries the parasite. Most people who have the infection do not have symptoms because their immune systems keep the parasite from causing illness.
Importantly, pregnant women or women planning families in the near future should take precautions not to become infected for the first time during this period, because the unborn child can become infected.
How does toxoplasmosis affect the unborn child?
If a women becomes infected for the first time just before or during pregnancy, the parasite can pass into the unborn child. The child may not present symptoms when it is born, but blindness and mental retardation can develop later in life. Of infected newborns, only a small percentage have eye and brain damage at the time at birth.
How do people get toxoplasmosis?
Cats are a primary source of the parasite. They eat infected birds or rodents, and pass the parasite into their feces. People get the parasite from touching unwashed hands to their mouths after changing cat litter boxes or soil that is contaminated.
Where can I get more information about toxoplasmosis?
Visit an excellent web site on the topic, CDC on Toxoplasmosis.
