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Toxoplasmosis

Inheritance patterns and prenatal diagnosis

Inheritance patterns
Not applicable

Prenatal diagnosis
This requires a specific blood test on the pregnant woman. This is not done routinely in the UK, although in other European countries there are national screening programmes. If a woman feels she has been at risk through something she ate, or if she has symptoms which could indicate toxoplasma infection, she can request a blood test. All positive tests should be sent to the Toxoplasma Reference Laboratory for confirmation and in the case of current infection, for tests which estimate the onset of infection. If the onset of infection is considered to be recent, the fetus can be tested, using amniocentesis or cordocentesis: but as these tests carry a risk of miscarriage, they are only offered where the risk of infection to the fetus is high and must be performed by a specialist in this field. Ultrasound scans can show up severe damage, but not the minor forms and only a blood test could confirm toxoplasmosis as the cause. Specific antibiotic treatment can help limit the risk of the infection crossing to the fetus where an infection is diagnosed during pregnancy. If the fetus is found to be infected, stronger antiparasitic drugs may be given to help limit the damage, and this treatment would also be given to all infants born with congenital infection.

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Medical text written May 1996 by Contact a Family. Approved May 1996 by Dr T Brand, Toxoplasmosis Trust, London UK. Last updated February 2004 by Dr D Ho-Yen, Director, Scottish Toxoplasma Reference Laboratory, Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, UK.

 

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