Congenital toxoplasmosis over 10 years in a low-incidence population

Jayamaha, Jude C; Robertson, Peter; Rawlinson, William D

doi:10.5694/mja11.11237

Topics

To the Editor: Vertical transmission of Toxoplasma gondii can result in significant morbidity in the fetus and newborn, although it is rare in Australia.1 Antenatal testing has shown seroprevalence of 23%–35%,2,3 which is possibly lower than overseas estimates. This may be because there is a higher awareness in Australian mothers of the risks of contracting toxoplasma infection from uncooked meat.

1 University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW.
2 South Eastern Area Laboratory Services, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, NSW.

Correspondence: w.rawlinson@unsw.edu.au

Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

1. Gilbert L. Toxoplasmosis in pregnancy: often suspected, rarely convicted. Microbiol Aust 2008; 29: 188-190.
2. Karunajeewa H, Siebert D, Hammond R, et al. Seroprevalence of varicella zoster virus, parvovirus B19 and Toxoplasma gondii in a Melbourne obstetric population: implications for management. Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol 2001; 41: 23-28.
3. Walpole IR, Hodgen N, Bower C. Congenital toxoplasmosis: a large survey in Western Australia. Med J Aust 1991; 154: 720-724.
4. Sfameni SF, Skurrie IJ, Gilbert GL. Antenatal screening for congenital infection with rubella, cytomegalovirus and toxoplasma. Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol 1986; 26: 257-260.
5. Robertson PW, Kertesz V. Modified fluorescent antibody technique to detect immunoglobulin M antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in congenital infection. J Clin Microbiol 1975; 2: 461-462.

Online responses are no longer available. Please refer to our instructions for authors page for more information.