Toxoplasma (Toxoplasma gondii) – Detection
Toxoplasma is an intracellular parasite, primarily the species Toxoplasma gondii, which is transmitted to humans from domestic animals, with cats being the main host, and causes toxoplasmosis, a systemic disease.
Toxoplasma can colonize almost all tissues, showing particular preference for muscle tissue, intestinal epithelium, and nervous tissue. There is no direct human-to-human transmission, except through intrauterine transmission.
If a woman becomes infected during pregnancy, the fetus can also become infected. Fetal infection, especially without proper therapeutic intervention, can be fatal (miscarriage, intrauterine death) or lead to the birth of a child with severe neurological and visceral abnormalities.
The likelihood of fetal infection depends on the gestational stage at the time of maternal infection. The risk increases as pregnancy progresses (15% in the first trimester, 30% in the second, and 60% in the third trimester). However, the severity of fetal infection is inversely proportional to the gestational age at infection.
Since acute toxoplasma infection is asymptomatic in 90% of cases, testing is recommended for pregnant women.
Turnaround Time: 1 week
