CONGENITAL TOXOPLASMOSIS - MOTHER-TO-FETU S TRANSMISSION OF PREPREGNANCY INFECTION

It has been established that maternal immunity developing before conce ption protects the fetus from congenital toxoplasmosis. We observed a case of congenital toxoplasmosis consecutive to a maternal toxoplasma infection that had preceded pregnancy. A woman with normal immune syst em developed toxoplasmosis 2 months before conceiving. No treatment wa s given to this prepregnancy seroconverted patient. At 25 weeks of ame norrhoea, the ultrasound examination showed a fetal cerebral ventricul ar dilatation. Amniocentesis and cordocentesis showed fetal toxoplasmo sis infection. Fetopathologic examination confirmed the diagnosis of c erebral toxoplasmosis. The pathophysiology of maternal-fetal toxoplasm a transmission and the role played by maternal immunodeficiency are di scussed. This exceptional case-report showed the difficulties of the m anagement in patients with 3-month pre-pregnancy toxoplasmosis and its practical implications.