If you catch toxoplasmosis for the first time during pregnancy, it does not mean that your baby will be infected. What is toxoplasmosis? On average, only 4 in 10 of such infections will pass to the baby. Signs of toxoplasmosis include mild flu-like symptoms, such as … Babies with toxoplasmosis, infected later in pregnancy, can look normal at birth but may develop serious problems later, vision impairment, blindness and development delays years later. If you have had cats for a long time, there’s a good chance your body is already immune to the parasite, but getting a new cat during pregnancy increases the risk. How Common is Toxoplasmosis in Pregnant Women? When acquired during pregnancy, toxoplasmosis often goes unrecognized in the mother, but it can produce a severe congenital infection with ocular and neurologic damage to the infant. The infection can be acquired through ingestion of infected, undercooked meat or contaminated food or water. Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic infection caused by Toxoplasma gondii. What is toxoplasmosis? Toxoplasmosis is an infection you can get from a microscopic parasite called Toxoplasma gondii.Although the infection generally causes a mild, symptomless illness in people with healthy immune systems, it's risky if you become infected just before or during pregnancy because the parasite may infect the placenta and your unborn baby. Toxoplasmosis infection in humans is extremely common with between 30 – 50% of the population having been exposed. Although toxoplasmosis spreads through contaminated meat and water, pet owners who own cats are at the greatest risk of an infection. Most pregnant women in the United States aren't routinely screened for toxoplasmosis, and most states don't screen infants for the infection. Most people have heard of toxoplasmosis due to the risks infections pose to pregnant women. AIDS. Toxoplasma infection can reactivate in immunocompromised pregnant women who were infected with Toxoplasma before their pregnancy, and this can lead to congenital infection in the unborn child. Toxoplasmosis can cause enlarged liver and jaundice, an enlarged spleen, a low platelet count, rashes and heart or lung infection, and enlarged lymph nodes. Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by a tiny parasite called Toxoplasma gondii. Caught during pregnancy, toxoplasmosis can cause miscarriage, stillbirth or damage to the baby’s brain and other organs, particularly the eyes. Without specific screening, toxoplasmosis is often difficult to diagnose because signs and symptoms, when they occur, are similar to those of more common illnesses, such as the flu and mononucleosis. Toxoplasmosis is a common infection that occurs in most birds and mammals, including humans. It's usually a mild disease, which often has no symptoms at all, but if you catch it for the first time in early pregnancy it can cause serious health problems for your baby. Transmission to the fetus occurs almost solely in … Abstract. In this group of patients common clinical findings include confusion, headache, seizures, nausea, weakness and poor coordination. More than 40 million men, women, and children in the U.S. carry the Toxoplasma parasite, but very few have symptoms because the immune system usually keeps the parasite from causing illness.However, women newly infected with Toxoplasma during or shortly before pregnancy and … Acute infection with Toxoplasma gondii during pregnancy and its potentially tragic outcome for the fetus and newborn continue to occur in the United States, as well as worldwide, despite the fact that it can be prevented. If infection occurs during pregnancy it can cause abortion and congenital defects to the fetus. 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