Toxoplasmosis disease is a hidden enemy that can cause great harm to a pregnant woman and her fetus. In humans, toxoplasmosis manifests itself in different ways. As a rule, the diagnosis of the disease is carried out by laboratory means. Since the pathogen is quite resistant to environmental influences, widespread infection is possible. In this article we will consider a disease such as toxoplasmosis, normal indicators, symptoms and methods of treatment.
For your information
The threat of infection with this disease is primarily children, agricultural workers, hunters, villagers, summer residents and gardeners, as well as all those who have cats at home.
Causes
Toxoplasmosis, the norm indicators of which are discussed below, cause conditionally pathogenic protozoa (toxoplasmas) that settle in the cells of the human body. In this case, the pathogen can affect any organ and penetrate into any cell, with the exception of red blood cells. The main cause of this disease is infection of the body with protozoa.
Toxoplasmosis: how to determine?
In humans, in most cases, toxoplasmosis proceeds in a mild and almost imperceptible form. However, symptoms such as general weakness, fatigue, low-grade fever, a slight increase in the cervical and occipital lymph nodes, and headache can be observed.
The conditions listed above are observed in the case of a classic cold. Quite often, people do not even have a clue that they have been ill with a disease such as toxoplasmosis. Indicators of the norm of this ailment allow you to start treatment in a timely manner.
In severe cases of the disease, patients experience joint and muscle pain, spotty rashes, and fever. Damage to the nervous system (the development of meningoencephalitis) is considered very dangerous. In a cat, toxoplasmosis can be suspected only in cases where it has discharge from the nose, redness of the eyes, diarrhea, and also an increase in lymph nodes. However, in most cases, both in cats and in humans, the pathological process has no obvious symptoms.
Pregnancy
Everywhere they say that toxoplasmosis is dangerous during pregnancy. Hence the recommendations on how to throw away your favorite pet, as well as worries about any cat scratch. It is important to know that for the developing fetus, the primary infection of the expectant mother is of particular risk. Accordingly, if you have previously been ill with toxoplasmosis, then this will not have a negative effect on the fetus.
Infection of the fetus with a disease such as toxoplasmosis (normal values are indicated below) is observed with primary infection and with reactivation of the pathogen in the body of seropositive women.
It is worth noting that with a primary infection during pregnancy, the risk to the fetus is 100%. During the first trimester, it is in the range of 15-20%, the second - 30%, the third - 60%. Although the risk increases with increasing gestational age, the severity of clinical manifestations decreases. In other words, if a woman in the first trimester becomes infected with toxoplasmosis, then the baby in most cases develops defects that are incompatible with life. If the infection occurred at the end of pregnancy, then pronounced symptoms may be completely absent.
If the pathogen enters the mother's body before 24 weeks, doctors advise abortion. If they refuse an abortion, they will offer treatment. In addition, it is necessary to pay attention that after the disease a stable immunity is developed, therefore, upon repeated meeting, this parasite will no longer be dangerous.
Transmission ways
In a disease such as toxoplasmosis, the norm is determined by laboratory means. The following transmission methods are possible:
- Contact - associated with sick cats that excrete toxoplasma with feces.
- Food - associated with the use of poorly processed meat, which contains cysts of the parasite.
- Parenteral - in this case, transmission of the infection during a transplant of tissues, organs and blood transfusion is not excluded.
- Transplacental - the penetration of infection into the fetus, followed by the development of a newborn toxoplasmosis.
A pregnant woman with a high rate of toxoplasmosis poses no epidemiological danger to medical personnel or to others. This allows the patient to be treated both in a somatic hospital and in an outpatient setting.
Pathogenesis
Pathogens emerging from oocysts and cysts penetrate into the epithelial cells of the small intestine, where reproduction occurs, as a result of which primary affect is formed. After this, the parasites penetrate into the regional lymph nodes, and then with the flow of lymph into the blood.
Spread
The migration of the pathogen can lead to damage to various tissues and organs. In conditions of reduced immunity, as well as during pregnancy, in addition to primary infection, parasite reactivation is also considered dangerous, which determines the course and subsequent outcome of pregnancy.
When leaving the cysts, the pathogen spreads. In tissues, its concentration is associated with the ability to penetrate transplantally, which can provoke the development of intrauterine pathology at any stage of pregnancy.
Toxoplasmosis: diagnosis
The causative agent can be determined in the body only by the presence of antibodies in the blood. This disease cannot be detected in any other way, since toxoplasmas are hidden inside other cells. As mentioned earlier, the incubation period of toxoplasmosis is almost asymptomatic. Protozoa, for example, can be found in muscles, the brain, spleen, liver, and lymph nodes.
Thus, it is possible to take material for analysis only surgically. When a lumbar puncture is done with meningoencephalitis, cerebrospinal fluid is mandatory examined for toxoplasma.
Treatment
Due to the fact that the incubation period of toxoplasmosis is asymptomatic in most cases, it is difficult to detect it in the early stages. Therefore, the treatment of this disease is long - 2 courses with immune correction (without fail). The first course is 10 days, after the same break is made, and therapy is repeated again (21 days - in especially difficult cases).
Ophthalmic toxoplasmosis is very difficult. Diagnosis in this case should be as accurate as possible, since the disease can be confused with tuberculosis. Therapy is carried out under the strict supervision of a TB doctor. With damage to the brain and organs of vision, toxoplasmosis is treated only in a stationary manner. The hospital will have to be at least a month. After treatment, repeated laboratory tests are required .
Norm indicators
The presence in the blood of antibodies such as IgM in the normal state is completely excluded. If, as a result of the analyzes, they were identified, then we are talking about infection with an infection such as toxoplasmosis. IgG antibodies found in the blood indicate that the body was once infected with an infection, and the time frame can be extended up to 10 years.
The best option is if none of these types of antibodies are present in the blood. Only in this case will it be possible to say with confidence that the body has never had an infection, and at a particular moment it is also absent. However, this means that the woman has absolutely no immunity to the disease, which would help to avoid infection. Will have to work hard so as not to become infected with such a disease. If toxoplasmosis lgG was detected, and IgM is absent, then the woman once encountered an infection, but at the moment she does not threaten her. And most importantly, immunity has already developed, and therefore the possibility of re-infection is minimal.
According to statistics, this situation is the most common. Thus, in a disease called toxoplasmosis, the norm is the presence of IgG and the absence of IgM.
If IgM antibodies were detected in the blood , and the type of IgG is completely absent, then we are talking about recent infection in the absence of immunity. This is what poses a threat to the child and his mother.
If both antibodies were detected , this indicates that an infection has been present in the body for a long time. After 2-3 weeks, the specialist will again ask to donate blood for toxoplasmosis.
Analyzes
So that the development of this disease does not proceed actively, and also in order to prevent the danger threatening the unborn child, it is necessary to conduct a special examination for infection. It is advisable to determine the indicator of toxoplasmosis either in the process of planning pregnancy, or in its early stages. Do not be afraid of the treatment of such a pathology - if you turn to specialists in a timely manner, then it occurs with minimal risk for the child.
With a disease such as toxoplasmosis, blood counts are fundamental, since bacteria are found in the internal organs. The amount of antibodies produced by the body is analyzed. In addition, it is determined how long the infection was introduced into the body, as well as how dangerous toxoplasmosis is for a person. Laboratory indicators do not always allow you to determine the exact picture of the disease, so after 2-3 weeks a second test is prescribed.
Sometimes toxoplasmosis can be diagnosed by polymerase chain reaction of blood (PCR). It is important to note that this method is considered inaccurate, since it cannot be used to determine the period when the infection occurred.
If the pregnant woman has been confirmed to be infected, a similar analysis should be performed for the baby. In most cases, amniocentesis (amniotic fluid test) is used for these purposes. An ultrasound scan can be performed to determine if the spleen or liver are enlarged, if intracranial calcifications and ventricles of the brain are in a normal state.
Pregnancy hazard
Most women are not even aware that they could have suffered this disease. Since the disease often proceeds in a latent form, this guarantees the formation of immunity in the body. If you belong to these women, then you are lucky - if you become infected during pregnancy, there will be no risk to the fetus.
If you get infected for the first time, the child can be very seriously affected, especially during the third trimester. Nevertheless, it is better not to change your lifestyle, throw away your pet, refuse meat consumption. Try to live a full life, but limit contact with animals, and also monitor the degree of readiness of meat dishes. If you feel worse, consult a specialist, only he can determine the indicators of chronic toxoplasmosis.
There are some precautions that prevent this infection. Let's consider them in more detail.
Prevention
Possible non-specific prophylaxis of this infection. Try to exclude semi-finished products, follow the rules of hygiene, wash your hands more often, buy meat and minced meat in trusted stores, carefully process vegetables and fruits. If there is a cat in the house, special fillers should be used and the tray should be washed regularly.
Women who are planning a pregnancy should be tested for toxoplasmosis before conception. How to determine the presence of this infection has been said above. If the result is negative, then during pregnancy it is very important for the expectant mother to take tests every 3 months.
If there are pets in the house, they must also be thoroughly examined. Regular disinfection of the cat's toilet is recommended. If the pet is sick, however sad it may be, you will have to get rid of it. To protect your beloved cat, do not let him out alone, do not give raw meat, do not let him hunt birds and mice. Also, pregnant women are not recommended to contact the pets of strangers, strangers, or to pet stray cats.
All these measures will help to some extent prevent this disease. In most cases, our health depends on ourselves.