Before talking about toxoplasma in pregnancy, let’s answer the question “what is toxoplasma”.
WHAT IS TOXOPLASMA? HOW IS IT TRANSMITTED TO HUMAN?
Toxo; It is also a type of microorganism called “gondi”. It is mostly seen in cats and is a disease that can be transmitted to humans. Well, “how is it transmitted?” Although not through direct contact, it is transmitted to humans as a result of consuming the feces of the infected animal, the items in contact with the feces, and the consumption of undercooked or uncooked meat of some contaminated farm animals.
WAYS TO PROTECT?
Women should stay away from cat feces during pregnancy, have other people clean their litter or use gloves, avoid consuming undercooked or uncooked meat, and avoid farm animal foods such as raw or undercooked eggs. Vegetables and fruits should be washed with plenty of water and gloves should be worn if gardening is to be done. It causes a risk of miscarriage in pregnancy or serious health problems in babies.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?
The symptoms of Toxoplasma are similar to respiratory diseases. For this reason, it is difficult to diagnose because it does not come to mind immediately that it is infected. While it usually does not show symptoms in humans, in some people; ~ 153~
-Body pain
-Headache
-High fever
-Fatigue, weakness
-Signs of swelling of lymph nodes.
TOXOPLASMA IN BABIES
The following problems can be seen in infants as a result of toxoplasma transmitted from mother to baby.
-Seizure
-Jaundice
-Eye infections
-Spleen and liver enlargement
-After birth, babies often have hearing loss or intellectual disability.
HOW TO DIAGNOSIS
It is best for women who are considering pregnancy before pregnancy to test in family medicine or hospitals. It is among the routine tests performed in the first 3 months after pregnancy. It is revealed as a result of the blood analysis.
HOW TO READ BLOOD VALUES
Two assays are checked in the blood as “toxoplasma IgM” and “toxoplasma IgG”. IgM indicates the presence or absence of active, IgG indicates whether it has been passed before.
If
IgM (+) is positive, IgG (-) is active infection and is not treated. If IgM (-) negative and IgG (+) positive, there is no active infection. If IgM (+) positive and IgG (+) positive, the test should be renewed after 2 weeks.
WHAT IS THE TREATMENT?
Normally, people with strong immunity do not need treatment and heal on their own. If treatment is necessary, a response can be obtained with the drug treatment recommended by the doctor. ~ 153~
~ 152 ~ In pregnancy, the drug treatment recommended by the doctor is started. With this treatment, 60% of the transmission of this microorganism to the baby can be prevented.
Our previous post What Vitamins and Minerals Are Required During Pregnancy? in our article information about.
