Congenital toxoplasmosis in France in 2007: first results from a national surveillance system

Abstract

Of the live-born cases, 206 were asymptomatic, 28 were symptomatic and seven had a severe form of the disease. As there were 818,700 births in France and French overseas departments in 2007, the overall prevalence of congenital toxoplasmosis observed that year was 3.3 (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.9 to 3.7) per 10,000 live births and the incidence rate of the disease at birth was 2.9 (95% CI: 2.5 to 3.2) per 10,000 live births; the estimated incidence rate of symptomatic congenital toxoplasmosis was 0.34 (95% CI: 0.2 to 0.5) cases per 10,000 live births.

Frequency of Toxoplasma Infection Among Pregnant Women and Their Newborn in Kashan, Iran

“…Sensitivity of PCR increases with the gestational age at maternal seroconversion. The incidence rate of congenital toxoplasmosis in France is 3.3 per 10000 live births [4]. According to results of present study and Gharavi [3] neonatal toxoplasmosis were reported 3.7 and 4.2 per 1000 live births in Kashan and Tehran, Iran, that was higher than France.…”

“…The sero-prevalence of IgG in women at childbearing age in Iran has been reported 37.6% [10]. The prevalence of IgG in Kashan's pregnant women was approximately similar as reported in France (44%) and South America (45%) [4,11]. This difference of infection can be related to climate condition, food habits, cultural and social situation, contact with cat and diagnostic methods [1,4].…”

“…Majority of newborn was born from infected mothers in the third trimester have no signs of congenital toxoplasmosis but some of them had retinochoroidal after four years of age [1]. In France, by screening pregnant women, treatment and health education, seroconversion and congenital toxoplasmosis fall from 84% in 1960s to 44% in 2003 and 1 per 1000 to 3.3 per 10000 [4]. Therefore, it is suggested that upon observing general symptoms such as jaundice in infant, attempts for detecting ophthalmologic disorder till age four and treatment have been started.…”

“…The prevalence of infection in the pregnant women varies from 0.79% to 84% in the world [1,2]. The incidence of congenital toxoplasmosis is reported, 3.3 per 10000 live births in France and 4.2 per 1000 in Iran [3,4]. Infection in the first trimester frequently show sever congenital toxoplasmosis; stillbirth, low birth weight, hydrocephaly and retinochoroiditis [1,5].…”

A pilot study using residual newborn dried blood spots to assess the potential role of cytomegalovirus and Toxoplasma gondii in the etiology of congenital hydrocephalus

“…While some cases of hydrocephalus are due to genetic causes, often no etiology is identified. T. gondii and CMV have the ability to infect the developing fetus and have been identified as a rare cause of hydrocephalus, based primarily on case reports (James, 1992;Azam et al, 2001;Bale, 2002;Lipitz et al, 2002;Villena et al, 2010). Limited information is available to understand the magnitude of the contribution these infections make to the occurrence of congenital hydrocephalus on a population level.…”