Toxoplasmosis in pregnancy

What is toxoplasmosis?

Toxoplasmosis is a parasite that lives in unpasteurised milk and cheeses, under-cooked meat, soil grown vegetables and cat faeces.

Toxoplasmosis can also be caught through contact with lambing.

What causes toxoplasmosis?

Toxoplasmosis is a common infection you can catch from coming into contact with the poo of infected cats or eating rare or raw cured meat.

How common is toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasmosis is a common infection and is usually harmless, but in rare cases it can lead to serious problems.The chances of your baby being born with toxoplasmosis is thought to be around 1 in 10,000.

How toxoplasmosis can affect pregnant women

Toxoplasmosis is only a problem if you become infected with it for the first time while you are pregnant or few months before you conceive. There is a risk that toxoplasmosis can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth and birth defects.

Pregnant women in the UK are not routinely tested for toxoplasmosis, so if you are concerned that you may have been infected you should seek advice from your midwife or GP. Some may get flu like symptoms but some may not develop any obvious symptoms.

Pregnant women who have been infected for the first time may be given antibiotics to reduce the risk of their unborn baby becoming infected or damaged. Babies diagnosed with toxoplasmosis before or after they are born (congenital toxoplasmosis) will also need treatment. There is a risk that they may develop long-term health problems.

Treatment for toxoplasmosis in pregnant women

You may be prescribed an antibiotic called spiramycin which can reduce the risk of the infection being passed on to your unborn baby. However, this drug will only reduce the risk of infection and does not act against the parasite.

How to reduce the risk of Toxoplasmosis

You can minimise your chances of catching toxoplasmosis by:

• Avoiding unpasteurised milk and cheese
• Not eating raw or under-cooked meat
• Washing your hands before preparing food
• Washing soil grown vegetables and fruit before eating them
• Wearing gloves to change cat litter or emptying the litter tray every day
• Wearing gloves when gardening

How is toxoplasmosis diagnosed?

Although not routinely tested for in the UK, some people choose to do this privately. It involves a blood test to check for antibodies. Antibodies can take up to 3 weeks to show in your blood, so it’s important to wait until 3 weeks after your exposure before having the test.

If you test positive, then there will be some further investigations to check whether it has passed to your baby.

What happens if I have toxoplasmosis during pregnancy?

If you catch toxoplasmosis during or shortly before pregnancy, as above you may be given antibiotics.

If you develop toxoplasmosis early in the pregnancy your baby is less likely to catch it, but any side effects are more likely to be serious. If you catch toxoplasmosis towards the end of pregnancy it is more likely your baby will catch it too, but any side effects will be less serious.

Is it safe to breastfeed if I have toxoplasmosis?

Yes, it is safe to breastfeed as toxoplasmosis does not pass through breastmilk.