Toxoplasmosis in pregnancy: symptoms and causes of infection and how to prevent risks to the fetus
Toxoplasmosis in pregnancy can pose serious risks to the fetus. This infection results from a parasite called "Toxoplasma gondii" which affects both humans and animals, especially cats. In cats, Toxoplasma gondii reaches the harmful form of "oocysts", a membranous cyst that the animal then emits into the environment through the feces, which become contagious.
Toxoplasmosis generally occurs without symptoms for healthy people (who may at most show flu symptoms). During pregnancy, however, toxoplasmosis becomes a "dangerous infection, with serious risks for the fetus: it could cause abortion, malformations or brain lesions.
About 50-80% of the population comes into contact with Toxoplasma gondii in Europe: once this infection is contracted, the immune system learns to defend itself against it, making it impossible to catch the disease again. According to estimates, about 60% of pregnant women in Italy have never come into contact with the parasite: the risk of a "maternal infection and, consequently, of a" fetal infection is therefore not averted.
Let's find out together everything there is to know about toxoplasmosis in pregnancy, from the symptoms to the causes of the infection, to the systems to prevent the disease and treat it, avoiding risks for the fetus. But first, here's a video on things not to do during pregnancy:
Toxoplasmosis in pregnancy: the possible causes of the infection
Toxoplasmosis in pregnancy can be contracted in several ways.You can come into contact with a cat's feces, for example, while cleaning the litter box, or while doing gardening: the excrement could be in the ground. It is therefore a matter of activities with a high risk of maternal infection, especially if you forget to wash your hands well after having performed them. The transmission of the infection occurs by bringing the hands to the mouth or face after coming into contact with the infected material.
The transmission of the infection, however, could also occur through food. Raw and unwashed fruits and vegetables can carry oocysts. The same goes for raw or undercooked meat, in which cysts generated by Toxoplasma are often present in the warm-blooded animals.
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What are the symptoms of toxoplasmosis in pregnancy?
Toxoplasmosis has different symptoms, which appear mainly in an early stage of the disease, called "primary toxoplasmosis". During this period - which can last for weeks or months - Toxoplasma is found in the blood and lymph nodes and is very infectious. The lymph nodes become enlarged, it is possible to suffer from headache, sore throat, fatigue, enlarged liver and spleen; in some cases, even fever occurs.
The second phase of Toxoplasmosis, called "post-primary toxoplasmosis", is instead without symptoms of infection, but the parasite continues to be present in the body, putting the immune system in crisis. The parasite can thus come back even stronger.
Toxoplasmosis in pregnancy is very dangerous because the transmission of the infection can pass from mother to baby through the placenta, carrying another risk of miscarriage or malformations. Particular attention must therefore be paid during pregnancy to the rules of personal hygiene and nutrition. .
What are the foods to watch out for to avoid Toxoplasma gondii infection?
It is not possible to completely prevent the onset of toxoplasmosis in pregnancy because there is currently no specific vaccine. However, if we adhere to certain practices and behaviors - including food - it is possible to significantly reduce the possibility of contracting the infection.
According to data published by the British Medical Journal, the main source of infection in pregnant women in Europe is the consumption of raw or undercooked meat. So be careful not to taste the meat while you are cooking it and to wash your hands well after touching it, because it could be a source of contamination.
In addition, smoked meats and slightly seasoned cold cuts or sausages should be avoided, especially if they are family-made. Fruit and vegetables should not be eaten raw if you are not sure that they have been washed properly! Also pay attention to all those ready-to-eat foods that may be subject to contamination.
Cat and toxoplasmosis: how to behave during pregnancy if you have a cat at home?
According to the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, in recent years the danger of toxoplasmosis transmitted by the cat has decreased, especially if it is a pet fed with canned products and whose litter is changed regularly. greatest danger: their feces can be released into the soil without us noticing.
If you have a domestic cat, it is not necessary to keep it away during pregnancy. Just use a few extra precautions: feed it with cooked or canned food; avoid contact with excrement; avoid cleaning the litter box yourself and having it cleaned daily leaving the container to sanitize for at least 5 minutes in boiling water.
Finally, keep stray cats away and do not welcome new cats into the house during pregnancy.
Diagnosis and treatment of toxoplasmosis in pregnancy
Toxoplasmosis often has no obvious symptoms and it is therefore always good to do a specific test even before pregnancy to know if our immune system has already developed antibodies for this disease. A simple blood test is enough, a test called "Toxo-test". Based on the presence or absence of antibodies you can be defined as "protected" from toxoplasmosis, "susceptible" or "at risk".
If you have not taken the test before pregnancy, it will be good to proceed at the beginning of the same, with the first series of tests and within the first eight weeks of pregnancy. If you are "protected" there is no need to repeat the test, if "susceptible" it will be good to do further checks at 20 and 36 weeks of pregnancy. If, on the other hand, you are "at risk" we will proceed with more sophisticated tests to ascertain the diagnosis.
In cases where a pregnant woman becomes infected, the transmission of the infection from mother to child can be blocked thanks to specific antibiotic treatment. If this is not adequate or timely enough, the fetus could develop a serious disease already visible at the time. birth.
The National Institute of Health states that the chances of transmitting the maternal infection to the fetus increase as the pregnancy progresses. Fetuses infected in the first weeks of pregnancy, on the other hand, have the worst risks.
For more information on toxoplasmosis in pregnancy, you can consult the website of the Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of the Venezie.
