Curriculum · Pediatric / Nutrition & Growth / EPI / Routine Child Examination
Congenital toxoplasmosis
What it is
Toxoplasmosis is a protozoal infection caused by Toxoplasma gondii. It is transmitted by poorly cooked meats and contaminated vegetables, and in the eye disease it is described as congenital, that is transplacental, or acquired from raw meat and cat feces. If a pregnant woman becomes infected the tachyzoites can infect the fetus through the bloodstream, and the result is congenital toxoplasmosis.
How it presents
The triad is chorioretinitis, hydrocephalus and intracranial calcifications. Around it sit hepatosplenomegaly, jaundice, rash, severe neurological deficits and thrombocytopenic purpura, and microcephaly is also part of the congenital picture. In the eye the lesions are focal, gray-yellow-white chorioretinal lesions with surrounding vasculitis and vitreous infiltration, that is vitreous cells. The congenital form more often causes visual impairment, because it is more likely to involve the macula.