The Horror of Toxoplasmosises!

Our daughter was tested for this infection when she went for her first baby check with her second child. We were all in shock when it came back positive. Now what? They had to send her to a specialist and the only thing they could do was put her on an experimental drug that had to be flown in from another state . She was on this drug through the whole pregnancy. It was suggested to her that she could have ended the baby's life but it wasn't in her to do that. To this day we do not know where she got the infection. She did have a cat but the cat had been tested and did not have toxoplasmosis parasite. She stop cleaning cat boxes when they knew they wanted another baby. Our son-in-law did all the cleaning of the cat box.

About half of infections come from eating raw or undercooked infected meat, but you can also get the parasite in other ways, such as eating unwashed contaminated produce, drinking contaminated water, or handling contaminated soil, cat litter, or meat and then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes. Wild meat can also have the parasite. We eat venison here so who knows if that could have caused it. When gardening always wear gloves do not touch your face. Many people get toxoplasmosis and never get sick from it. You can't get this from another person but mother can pass it to unborn baby.

Our daughter had to go through amnioecentesis test.We were all worried about the baby, even though test showed she was ok. Thank God, she was born healthy and is a very healthy 10 year old now. Some hospitals do not test for toxoplasmosises but expecting mothers should insist they be checked

If your baby has toxoplasmosis it can be from mild to severe. They even think that toxoplasmosis can cause miscarriage, stillbirth and death soon after birth. Toxoplasmosis can affect your baby's brain, can cause cerebral palsy, and epilepsy. It can affect the eyes, sometimes blindness. Toxoplasmosis can cause enlarged liver and jaundice, an enlarged spleen, a low platelet count,rashes and heart or lung infection, and enlarged lymph nodes. Babies with toxoplasmosis, infected later in pregnancy, can look normal at birth but may develop serious problems later, vision impairment, blindness and development delays years later. This is why our grandchild had to be checked. Our daughter was put on experimental antibiotics and so was the baby after she was born for a year after birth and was watched closely by her doctor. Our state is Wisconsin and when our daughter had her first baby she was tested for toxoplasmosis and came out clear and then was tested again with the second baby and toxoplasmosis was found. Some states test for toxoplasmosis and some don't and sometimes it goes just by the clinic you are going to. The clinic in this county does not check for it. You may have to ask your doctor for this test but I sure would it is worth it. If it's caught early in pregnancy there are medications that can work. They told our daughter that toxoplasmosis is rear in the US more common in countries like third world countries.

Treating pregnant women and babies: If a woman is pregnant and infected with toxoplasmosis but baby isn't they may give you an anitibiotic spiramycin. This drug will help keep baby from becoming infected. The drug is used in Europe to treat toxoplasmosis but is an experimental drug in the US.

House cats can be tested for antibodies to Toxoplasmosis. Cats that have a positive antibody test means that the cat is very likely immune and likely not to be the source of infection. Cats should be tested before you become pregnant.