Parasitic disease in pregnancy and congenital parasitosis Part I: Protozoan infections

Intestinal protozoan disease diagnosed in pregnancy is mostly controlled by symptomatic treatment. Specific therapy can be delayed until after deliver y. Only severe cases, i.e. continued diarrhea leading to malnutrition of ei ther mother or fetus, require an immediate specific drug therapy, which mig ht be harmful to the fetus due to toxic and teratogenic potentials. Vertica l transmission of intestinal protozoa has not been described. Invasive protozoan infections can be lethal to the mother making immediate drug therapy mandatory, even if the potentials of fetotoxicity or teratogen icity are known. Vertical transmission occurs independent of maternal sympt oms, causing clinical disease in the child either directly after birth or d uring the first months of life. The knowledge of endemic regions and of the maternal travel history is essential for early diagnosis and treatment of protozoan disease in pregnancy and of congenital protozoan infections.