Fifteen-minute consultation: Management of the infant born to a mother with toxoplasmosis in pregnancy
File(s)262.full.pdf (1.28 MB)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Congenital toxoplasmosis occurs following transplacental transfer of Toxoplasma gondii. Irrespective of symptom status at birth, infants with congenital infection may develop serious long-term sequelae, including learning disability, seizures, hydrocephalus, motor and hearing deficits, chorioretinitis and retinal scarring with impaired vision. Timely diagnosis facilitates early initiation of therapy, aimed at prevention or amelioration of adverse clinical consequences. Diagnosis can be difficult, however, since acutely infected mothers are often asymptomatic and laboratory testing can be complex. Moreover, any decision to start treatment in the newborn must include careful consideration of the benefits and risks. This paper outlines a structured approach for managing an infant born to a woman with possible or confirmed T. gondii infection during pregnancy, including key aspects of the antenatal history, interpretation and timing of investigations, treatment and appropriate follow-up. Our recommendations are based on current evidence in the literature, consensus from two UK paediatric infectious disease centres and the UK specialist Toxoplasma Reference Unit.
Date Issued
2020-10-01
Date Acceptance
2019-12-06
Citation
Archives of Disease in Childhood: Education and Practice Edition, 2020, 105 (5), pp.262-269
ISSN
1743-0585
Publisher
BMJ Publishing Group
Start Page
262
End Page
269
Journal / Book Title
Archives of Disease in Childhood: Education and Practice Edition
Volume
105
Issue
5
Copyright Statement
© 2020 Author(s) (or their employer(s)). This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited, appropriate credit is given, any changes made indicated, and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.
License URL
Subjects
Pediatrics
1114 Paediatrics and Reproductive Medicine
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2020-02-18