Congenital Toxoplasmosis Transmitted from an Immunologically Competent Mother Infected Before Conception

• Published in: Clinical infectious diseases Vol. 23; no. 5; pp. 1055 - 1060
• Main Authors: Vogel, Nicolas, Kirisits, Michael, Michael, Eric, Bach, Howard, Hostetter, Margaret, Boyer, Kenneth, Simpson, Ross, Holfels, Ellen, Hopkins, Joyce, Mack, Douglas, Mets, Marilyn B., Swisher, Charles N., Patel, Dushyant, Roizen, Nancy, Stein, Laszlo, Stein, Mark, Withers, Shawn, Mui, Ernest, Egwuagu, Charles, Remington, Jack, Dorfman, Ronald, McLeod, Rima
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago, IL The University of Chicago Press 01.11.1996; University of Chicago Press
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Biopsies; Clinical Articles; Congenital toxoplasmosis; Female; Fertilization; Fetus; Histology; Human protozoal diseases; Humans; Immunocompetence; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Newborn, Diseases; Infants; Infections; Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; Infectious diseases; Lymph nodes; Lymph Nodes - parasitology; Lymph Nodes - pathology; Lymphadenitis; Lymphadenitis - parasitology; Lymphadenitis - pathology; Lymphadenitis - physiopathology; Medical sciences; Mice; Mothers; Parasitic diseases; Pregnancy; Protozoal diseases; Retrospective Studies; Tomography Scanners, X-Ray Computed; Toxoplasma - genetics; Toxoplasma - isolation & purification; Toxoplasma gondii; Toxoplasmosis; Toxoplasmosis - parasitology; Toxoplasmosis - pathology; Toxoplasmosis - physiopathology; Toxoplasmosis - transmission; Human; Infection; Case study; Protozoal disease; Newborn; Congenital; Toxoplasmosis; Parasitosis; Diagnosis; Maternal diseases; Mother to child transmission
• ISSN: 1058-4838; 1537-6591
• DOI: 10.1093/clinids/23.5.1055

Congenital transmission of Toxoplasma gondii from a mother who was apparently immunologically competent and who had toxoplasmic lymphadenitis 2 months before conception is described. Since no T. gondii-specific serological data were available for this mother from the time her lymph node biopsy specimen was obtained, the specimen was studied by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to determine whether the T. gondii B1 gene was present. The predictive diagnostic value of histologic findings previously considered to be classic signs of T. gondii lymphadenitis also was studied. This was done by correlation of serological tests diagnostic of acute acquired T. gondii infection and presence of characteristic findings in biopsy specimens from persons without known immunocompromise. Both PCR and review of the characteristic features of her lymph node biopsy specimen confirmed the diagnosis of preconceptual infection in the mother. We also discuss two other cases in which apparently immunologically competent mothers with preconceptually acquired infection transmitted this parasite to their fetuses.