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Prevention of congenital toxoplasmosis in Szeged, Hungary
- Source :
- International journal of epidemiology. 26(2)
- Publication Year :
- 1997
-
Abstract
- Background. Toxoplasma gondii infection of the fetus can only be discovered or prevented by the appropriate serological screening and subsequent treatment of the mother and her offspring. In Hungary, there is no obligatory toxoplasma screening for pregnant women and both the reporting and follow-up of congenital toxoplasmosis cases is limited. In 1987 we started a systematic study in the Szeged region of Hungary, in which all pregnant women were screened and appropriate treatment given to all mothers and their offspring where congenital toxoplasmosis was suspected. Methods. All pregnant women were routinely screened within the first 16 weeks of gestation;or toxoplasma antibodies by complement fixation test (CFT). Seronegative cases were retested for possible seroconversion every second month, Patients with CFT litres greater than or equal to 1:256 were retested for anti-P30 immunoglobulin A (IgA), IgM and IgG antibodies by ELISA and/or SDS-PAGE-Western immunoblot in order to distinguish the acute and chronic phases of the infection. Results. Up to the end of 1994, the sera of 17 735 gravidae were screened. Ten women were found to have seroconverted during pregnancy and 78 had high initial antibody levels accompanied by anti-P30 IgA antibodies at the very first screening. These two groups together were considered as definitely (10) or possibly (78) infected with Toxoplasma during pregnancy and were treated with Spiramycin. Ali of their offspring were also treated for one month and followed-up by systematic serological and clinical screening for 2 years. No congenital toxoplasmosis was found in any of the offspring. Conclusions. Antenatal, early diagnosis and treatment of toxoplasmosis in mothers, together with treatment and followup of their offspring, may considerably reduce the incidence of the disease in the offspring.
- Subjects :
- Male
medicine.medical_specialty
Epidemiology
Offspring
Blotting, Western
Antibodies, Protozoan
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
Toxoplasmosis, Congenital
Serology
Pregnancy
Risk Factors
Medicine
Animals
Humans
Mass Screening
Serologic Tests
Seroconversion
Hungary
biology
business.industry
Obstetrics
Incidence
Spiramycin
Infant, Newborn
Toxoplasma gondii
General Medicine
biology.organism_classification
medicine.disease
Toxoplasmosis
Immunoglobulin M
Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic
Immunology
biology.protein
Female
business
Toxoplasma
medicine.drug
Program Evaluation
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 03005771
- Volume :
- 26
- Issue :
- 2
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- International journal of epidemiology
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....47b707fd59f0f2451e8bd823dade0ae4