Feasibility of neonatal screening for toxoplasma infection in the absence of prenatal treatment

Lebech, Morten; Andersen, O. F.; Christensen, N. E.; Hertel, Jens Kristoffer; Nielsen, H. E.; Peitersen, Birgit; Rechnitzer, Catherine; Larsen, Severin Olesen; Nørgaard‐Pedersen, Bent; Petersen, Eskild

doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(98)11281-3

Cited by 193 publications

(161 citation statements)

References 19 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

131

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…A rate of 0.8/10,000 was reported in the United States (Guerina 1994). Higher rates were reported in the United Kingdom (3.4/10,000) (Gilbert et al 2006) and Denmark (4/10,000) (Lebech et al 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Sero-epidemiology and risk factors for Toxoplasma gondii among pregnant women in Arab and African countries

Alsammani

2014

J Parasit Dis

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The epidemiology of toxoplasmosis in pregnancy is a major issue for public health. Primary infection in pregnant women can lead to serious sequelae. This review examined current sero-epidemiology and risks factor data for Toxoplasma gondii in pregnant women in Arab and African countries. A systematic electronic search of published literature was conducted. Data were extracted from relevant studies. Seropositivity is high in both regions. African countries have higher seropositivity than Arab countries due to differences in risk factors. Data on T. gondii infection in pregnancy are scant in many countries, especially where there is lack of political stability. Identified risk factors included eating raw meat, proximity with cats, undercooked food, and increasing maternal age. Toxoplasmosis in pregnancy in Arab and African countries is an underestimated health problem. Further research is needed. This report is a foundation for strategies and policies for intervention needed to combat the consequences of congenital toxoplasmosis.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Sero-epidemiology and risk factors for Toxoplasma gondii among pregnant women in Arab and African countries

Alsammani

2014

J Parasit Dis

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…An alternative strategy for the identification of prenatal infections with T. gondii is serological screening of neonates [58,199,201,[232][233][234]. The most common technique in neonatal screening has been to use dried blood collected on filter paper in serological tests for IgM antibodies to T. gondii [199,201,232-234,], although neonatal screening utilising cord blood has also been effective [58].…”

Section: Congenital Toxoplasmosismentioning

confidence: 99%

Toxoplasma gondii: from animals to humans

Tenter

Heckeroth

Weiss

2000

International Journal for Parasitology

2,968

2,476

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Toxoplasmosis is one of the more common parasitic zoonoses world-wide. Its causative agent, Toxoplasma gondii, is a facultatively heteroxenous, polyxenous protozoon that has developed several potential routes of transmission within and between different host species. If first contracted during pregnancy, T. gondii may be transmitted vertically by tachyzoites that are passed to the foetus via the placenta. Horizontal transmission of T. gondii may involve three lifecycle stages, i.e. ingesting infectious oocysts from the environment or ingesting tissue cysts or tachyzoites which are contained in meat or primary offal (viscera) of many different animals. Transmission may also occur via tachyzoites contained in blood products, tissue transplants, or unpasteurised milk. However, it is not known which of these routes is more important epidemiologically. In the past, the consumption of raw or undercooked meat, in particular of pigs and sheep, has been regarded as a major route of transmission to humans. However, recent studies showed that the prevalence of T. gondii in meat-producing animals decreased considerably over the past 20 years in areas with intensive farm management. For example, in several countries of the European Union prevalences of T. gondii in fattening pigs are now <1%. Considering these data it is unlikely that pork is still a major source of infection for humans in these countries. However, it is likely that the major routes of transmission are different in human populations with differences in culture and eating habits. In the Americas, recent outbreaks of acute toxoplasmosis in humans have been associated with oocyst contamination of the environment. Therefore, future epidemiological studies on T. gondii infections should consider the role of oocysts as potential sources of infection for humans, and methods to monitor these are currently being developed. This review presents recent epidemiological data on T. gondii, hypotheses on the major routes of transmission to humans in different populations, and preventive measures that may reduce the risk of contracting a primary infection during pregnancy.

show abstract

“…Moreover, CMV DNA viral load is reduced, although still recoverable, after 2 years (Atkinson et al, 2009). Second, previous studies have indicated that neonatal screening for T. gondii IgM using DBS detects ~52-87% of infected newborns (Lebech et al, 1999;Paul et al, 2000;Gilbert et al, 2007). Similarly, the sensitivity of CMV DBS DNA testing approaches 100% when testing symptomatic newborns (Barbi et al, 1996;Snijdewind et al, 2012), but ranges from ~30 to 80% when testing unselected population-based newborns (Soetens et al, 2008;Boppana et al, 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Simeone

Rasmussen

Mei

et al. 2013

Birth Defects Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BACKGROUND-Congenital hydrocephalus is a condition characterized by accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles of the brain. Prenatal infections are risk factors for some birth defects. This pilot study investigated whether residual dried blood spots (DBS) could be used to assess infections as risk factors for birth defects by examining the associations between prenatal infection with Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) or cytomegalovirus (CMV) with congenital hydrocephalus.

show abstract

Feasibility of neonatal screening for toxoplasma infection in the absence of prenatal treatment

Cited by 193 publications

References 19 publications

Sero-epidemiology and risk factors for Toxoplasma gondii among pregnant women in Arab and African countries

Sero-epidemiology and risk factors for Toxoplasma gondii among pregnant women in Arab and African countries

Toxoplasma gondii: from animals to humans

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

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About