How to check for Toxoplasma gondii before pregnancy

Toxoplasmosis is a disease that can be contracted by both humans and animals. People who keep pets at home are more likely to be infected. Toxoplasma gondii lives in the body of humans or animals and spreads throughout the body through the blood. Toxoplasmosis can reduce a person's immunity and cause various diseases. During pregnancy, special attention should be paid to avoid Toxoplasma infection, otherwise it will cause very serious harm to the fetus.

Symptoms of Toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonosis caused by Toxoplasma gondii. It is widely parasitic in the nucleated cells of humans and animals. In humans, the infection is mostly latent; the clinical manifestations of patients are complex, mainly affecting the eyes, brain, heart, liver, lymph nodes, etc. So what are the symptoms after infection? Let's take a look!

It is generally divided into two categories: congenital and acquired, and latent infection is the most common. Clinical symptoms are mostly caused by recent acute infection or activation of latent lesions.

The clinical manifestations of congenital toxoplasmosis are complex. Most infants are asymptomatic at birth, but some develop retinal choroiditis, strabismus, blindness, epilepsy, psychomotor or mental retardation a few months or years after birth. The following different combinations of clinical manifestations: retinochoroiditis, hydrocephalus, microcephaly, anencephaly, intracranial calcification, etc. should be considered as possible causes of this disease. ...

Toxoplasma test

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonosis, mainly transmitted from cats and felines, and can infect more than 140 species of animals, including humans. If the infection occurs in immunocompromised patients or pregnant women, it will cause greater harm. However, most people infected with Toxoplasma gondii are asymptomatic, and we can only confirm the diagnosis through laboratory tests. Now let’s understand how to check it specifically.

Generally speaking, if we want to confirm whether a person is infected, we can mainly check the antibody IgM in the serum to find out. A negative result means that you are not currently infected, and a positive result means that you are currently infected.

Simply put, the results of antibody IgM only show the current status. In fact, when we are infected with Toxoplasma gondii, we can usually recover on our own within a few days or weeks as the body develops immunity. After recovery, IgM will automatically turn negative.

Toxoplasma treatment

Toxoplasma infection is mostly latent in humans; the clinical manifestations of patients are complex, and they mainly invade the eyes, brain, heart, liver, lymph nodes, etc. If a pregnant woman is infected, the virus may be passed to the fetus through the placenta, causing deformities or even death in severe cases. Once toxoplasmosis infection is confirmed, appropriate treatment must be received as soon as possible.

1. People with normal immune function:

Appropriate medication will be prescribed based on the doctor's diagnosis. Currently, there are a variety of drugs suitable for treating Toxoplasma infection. The doctor will choose the most targeted type of medication based on the patient's condition.

2. For patients with impaired immune function: the above-mentioned medication regimens can be used, but the course of treatment should be prolonged, and interferon-γ can be added at the same time.

3. Pregnant women: There are special Toxoplasma treatment drugs for pregnant women, and they should not be used together with common Toxoplasma patients.