Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (10)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Szenasi, Z
Right arrow Articles by Verhofstede, C
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Szenasi, Z
Right arrow Articles by Verhofstede, C
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

International Journal of Epidemiology, Vol 26, 428-435, Copyright © 1997 by International Epidemiological Association

ARTICLES

Prevention of congenital toxoplasmosis in Szeged, Hungary

Z Szenasi, Z Ozsvar, E Nagy, M Jeszenszky, J Szabo, J Gellen, M Vegh and C Verhofstede
Department of Clinical Microbiology, Albert Szent-Gyorgyi Medical University, Szeged, Hungary.

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 for toxoplasma antibodies by complement fixation test (CFT). Seronegative cases were retested for possible seroconversion every second month. Patients with CFT titres > or = 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. All 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 follow-up of their offspring, may considerably reduce the incidence of the disease in the offspring.
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J Trop PediatrHome page
C. Gallego-Marin, A. C. Henao, and J. E. Gomez-Marin
Clinical Validation of a Western Blot Assay for Congenital Toxoplasmosis and Newborn Screening in a Hospital in Armenia (Quindio) Colombia
J Trop Pediatr, April 1, 2006; 52(2): 107 - 112.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.