Toxoplasmosis in pregnancy: what it is and how it is discovered.

Toxoplasmosis is one of the painful notes of pregnancy. A widespread fear. The pregnant woman knows her well. The gynecologist immediately requests blood tests to assess whether the expectant mother has already come into contact with it in the past, recently contracted it or passed it before pregnancy. These exams are essential. But what is this disease? Toxoplasmosis is a zoonosis and affects both animals and humans.

Toxoplasmosis in pregnancy

The cat, which is considered the definitive host and most responsible for the transmission of this disease, hosts the oocysts of this protozoan (toxoplasma gondii) in its faeces. The cat's feces can thus contaminate the soil and vegetables that have come into contact with the infected droppings.

Toxoplasmosis is asymptomatic in most cases, but in pregnancy a lot of attention is needed because the trophozoites pass through the placenta and interact negatively with the fetus causing serious problems even if not the abortion itself. The oocysts are very resistant, they remain in the environment and can also contaminate other animals that by browsing the grass can become infected.

How the contagion happens

Contagion occurs:

• eating lightly washed vegetables,

• eating undercooked or raw meat from infected animals

• through direct contact with the feces of sick cats.

Causes of toxoplasmosis

• Infected cat (faeces with non-sporulated oocysts)

• Soil contamination (oocysts with sporozoites) and grazing animals (cysts with bradizoites) - intermediate host

• Passage of species: human infection

• Human to human infection (from woman to fetus).

How to prevent toxoplasmosis

For this reason it is necessary:

• wash the vegetables very well before eating them,

• avoid direct contact with cat feces

• and cook the meat very well.

Another useful precaution is the careful cleaning of the hands after performing gardening work, or after handling raw meats before cooking.

These are simple steps that can save your baby's life. Just a little attention is needed without being overwhelmed by unnecessary fears. A correct hygiene of life is enough to preserve the health of the fetus.

It is therefore necessary to pay particular attention to nutrition, avoiding eating raw foods, washing fruit and vegetables with water and bicarbonate before consuming them, especially if you intend to eat them raw, and avoiding the consumption of raw sausages (go ahead instead in moderation, no more once a week, to cooked sausages, such as cooked ham and mortadella).