Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2000;1999(2):CD001684.
doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD001684.

Treatments for toxoplasmosis in pregnancy

F Peyron  1 , M Wallon, C Liou, P Garner
Affiliations

Treatments for toxoplasmosis in pregnancy

F Peyron et al. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2000.

Abstract

Background: Toxoplasmosis is a widespread parasitic disease and usually causes no symptoms. However, infection of pregnant women may cause congenital infection, resulting potentially in mental retardation and blindness in the infant.

Objectives: The objective of this review was to assess whether or not treating toxoplasmosis in pregnancy reduces the risk of congenital toxoplasma infection and improves infant outcomes.

Search strategy: The Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group trials register was searched. An electronic search was performed using the key words 'congenital and toxoplasmosis' on the following databases: MEDLINE (1966-07/1997), Embase (1993-07/1997), Pascal (French) (1990-1997), Biological Abstracts (1993-1995) and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register. There was also contact with experts in the field, including those in the European Research Network on Congenital Toxoplasmosis.

Selection criteria: Randomised controlled trials of antibiotic treatment versus no treatment of pregnant women with proven or likely acute Toxoplasma infection, with outcomes in the children reported. We also inspected relevant reports of less robust experimental studies in which there were (non randomly allocated) control groups, although it was not planned to include such data in the primary analysis.

Data collection and analysis: Reports of possibly eligible studies were scrutinised by two investigators.

Main results: Out of the 2591 papers identified, none met the inclusion criteria.

Reviewer's conclusions: Despite the large number of studies performed over the last three decades we still do not know whether antenatal treatment in women with presumed toxoplasmosis reduces the congenital transmission of Toxoplasma gondii. Screening is expensive, so we need to evaluate the effects of treatment, and the impact of screening programmes. In countries where screening or treatment is not routine, these technologies should not be introduced outside the context of a carefully controlled trial.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

None known.

References

References to studies excluded from this review

Desmonts 1984 {published data only}
    1. Desmonts G, Couvreur J. Toxoplasmose congenitale. Annales de Pediatrice (Paris) 1984;31:805‐9. - PubMed
Douche 1996 {published data only}
    1. Douche C, Benabdesselam A, Mokhtari F, Mer Y. Value of prevention of congenital toxoplasmosis. Journal Francais de Optalmologie 1996;19:330‐4. - PubMed
Excler 1985 {published data only}
    1. Excler JL, Piens MA, Maisonneuve H, Pujol E, Garin JP. Depistage de la toxoplasmose acquise chez la femme enceinte et de la toxoplasmose congenitale chez le nouveau‐ne. Lyon Medical 1985;253:33‐8.
Foulon 1999 {published data only}
    1. Foulon W, Villena I, Stray‐Pedersen B, Decoster A, Lappalainer M, Pinon JM, et al. Treatment of toxoplasmosis during pregnancy: a multicenter study of impact on fetal transmission and child's sequelae at age 1 year. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 1999;180:410‐5. - PubMed
Knerer 1995 {published data only}
    1. Knerer B, Hayde M, Gratz G, Bernaschek G, Strobl W, Pollak A. Direct detection of Toxoplasma gondii with polymerase chain reaction in diagnosis of fetal toxoplasma infection. Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift 1995;107:137‐40. - PubMed
Kraubig 1966 {published data only}
    1. Kraubig H. Praventive Behandlung der konnatalen Toxoplasmose. In: Kirchhoff H, Kraubig H editor(s). Toxoplasmose. Praktische Fragen une Ergebnisse. Georgthieme Verlag, 1966.
Lambotte 1976 {published data only}
    1. Lambotte R, Bassleer J, Beaudouin PH, Senterre J, Lhoist R. Congenital toxoplasmosis. Evaluation of the benefit of prenatal therapy [Toxoplasmose congenitale: evaluation du benefice therapeutique prenatal]. Journal de Gynecologie, Obstetrique et Biologie de la Reproduction (Paris) 1976;5(2):265‐9. - PubMed
Roux 1976 {published data only}
    1. Roux C, Desmonts G, Mulliez N, Gaulier M, Tufferaud G, Marmor D, et al. Toxoplasmosis and pregnancy. Evaluation of 2 years of prevention of congenital toxoplasmosis in the maternity ward of Hopital Saint‐Antoine (1973‐1974). Journal de Gynecologie, Obstetrique et Biologie de la Reproduction (Paris) 1976;5:249‐64. - PubMed
Thoumsin 1992 {published data only}
    1. Thoumsin H, Senterre J, Lambotte R. Twenty‐two years of screening for toxoplasmosis in pregnancy: Liege‐Belgium. Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Diseases Supplement 1992;23(84):84‐5. - PubMed
Wallon 1997 {published data only}
    1. Wallon M, Peyron F, Lebech M, Petersen E, Gilbert R, Dunn D. Prenatal treatment and the risk of congenital toxoplasmosis: preliminary findings from two cohort studies. Pediatric Research 1997;42:400.

References to studies awaiting assessment

Garcia 1995 {published data only}
    1. Garcia L, Ruiz A, Gonzalez A. Consequences on the newborn of the treatment of toxoplasmosis infected pregnant women [Repercusiones neonatales en embarazadas tratadas con toxoplasmosis]. Tokoginecología Práctica 1995;54:247‐51.

References to ongoing studies

EMSCOT study {unpublished data only}
    1. Petersen E. European Multicenter Study on Congential Toxoplasmosis. Personal communication 1997.

Additional references

Ancelle 1996
    1. Ancelle T, Goulet V, Tirard‐Fleury V, Baril L, Du Mazaubrun C, Thulliez PH, et al. La toxoplasmose chez la femme enceinte en France en 1995. Bulletin Épidémiologique Hebdomadaire (Paris) 1996;51:227.
Bader 1997
    1. Bader TJ, Macones GA, Asch DA. Prenatal screening for toxoplasmosis. Obstetrics & Gynecology 1997;90:457‐64. - PubMed
Berrebi 1994
    1. Berrebi A, Kobuch WE, Bessieres MH, Bloom MC, Rolland M, Sarramon MF, et al. Termination of pregnancy for maternal toxoplasmosis. Lancet 1994;344:36‐9. - PubMed
Dunn 1999
    1. Dunn D, Wallon M, Peyron F, Petersen E, Peckham CS, Gilbert RE. Mother to child transmission of toxoplasmosis: risk estimates for clinical counselling. Lancet 1999;353:1829‐33. - PubMed
Eskild 1996
    1. Eskild A, Oxman A, Magnus P, Bjorndal A, Bakketeig LS. Screening for toxoplasmosis in pregnancy: what is the evidence of reducing a health problem?. Journal of Medical Screening 1996;3:188‐94. - PubMed
Fleck 1973
    1. Fleck DG. The problem of congenital toxoplasmosis. Intrauterine infections. Ciba Foundation Symposium. Amsterdam: Elsevier, Excerpta Medica, 1973:45‐52.
Hohlfeld 1989
    1. Hohlfeld P, Daffos F, Thulliez P, Aufrant C, Couvreur J, Mac Aleese J, et al. Fetal toxoplasmosis: outcome of pregnancy and infant follow‐up after in utero treatment. Journal of Pediatrics 1989;115:765‐9. - PubMed
Hohlfeld 1994
    1. Hohlfeld P, Daffos F, Costa JM, Thulliez P, Forestier F, Vidaud M. Prenatal diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis with a polymerase‐chain‐reaction test on amniotic fluid. New England Journal of Medicine 1994;331:695‐9. - PubMed
Jeannel 1990
    1. Jeannel D, Costagliola D, Niel G, Hubert B, Danis M. What is known about the prevention of congenital toxoplasmosis?. Lancet 1990;336:359‐61. - PubMed
Lebech 1998
    1. Lebech M, Joynson DH, Seitz HM, Thulliez P, Gilbert RE, Dutton GN, et al. Classification system and case definitions of Toxoplasma gondii infection in immunocompetent pregnant women and their congenitally infected offspring. European Research Network on Congenital Toxoplasmosis. European Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases 1998;17(1):67‐8. - PubMed
Lebech 1999
    1. Lebech M, Andersen O, Christensen NC, Hertel J, Nielsen HE, Peitersen B, et al. Feasibility of neonatal screening for toxoplasma infection in the absence of prenatal treatment. Lancet 1999;353:1834‐7. - PubMed
RCOG 1992
    1. Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Prenatal screening for toxoplasmosis in the UK. Report of a Multidisciplinary Working Group. London: RCOG, 1992.
Remington 1992
    1. Remington JS, McLeod R, Desmont G. Toxoplasmosis. In: Remington JS, Klein JO editor(s). Infectious diseases of the fetus and newborn infant. 4th Edition. Philadelphia: JB Lippincott, 1992:349‐64.
Wallon 1994
    1. Wallon M, Gandilhon F, Peyron F, Mojon M. Toxoplasmosis in pregnancy. Lancet 1994;344:541. - PubMed

References to other published versions of this review

Peyron 2001
    1. Peyron F, Wallon M. Options for the pharmacotherapy of toxoplasmosis during pregnancy. Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy 2001;2(8):1269‐74. - PubMed
Wallon 1999
    1. Wallon M, Liou C, Garner P, Peyron F. Congenital plasmosis ‐ what is the evidence that treatment in pregnancy prevents congenital disease?. BMJ 1999;318:1511‐4. - PMC - PubMed
Wallon 2001
    1. Wallon M, Liou C, Garner P, Peyron F. Congenital toxoplasmosis: systematic review of evidence of efficacy in treatment in pregnancy. 9th International Cochrane Colloquium; 2001 Oct 9‐13; Lyon, France. 2001.

Publication types