INTRODUCTION
Toxoplasmosis is one of the most frequent causes of uveitis
(1)
and the eye can be
affected in both congenital and acquired infections
(2,3)
.
It has been commonly believed that women can transmit the disease to the fetus
only: when they are infected for the first time, in the months just before or during
pregnancy; or if they are severely immunocompromised
(4,5)
. After that period of time
newborns are believed to be protected from the congenital form of the disease.
There are a handful of reports supporting the notion that chronically infected
women can transmit toxoplasmosis to a fetus, but usually when the infection was recently
acquired
(4,5,6)
It has been suggested that women with old toxoplasmic scars are protected
and will not transmit the disease
(1,2 )
.
CASE REPORT
A 38-year-old pregnant, white female with 2 previously normal pregnancies and
healthy children was negative for anti-toxoplasmosis IgM antibodies but a positive for IgG
antibodies, during a routine work up.
The patient was known to have a toxoplasmic scar in the retina of the right eye since
1979; she also had an anti-toxoplasamosis IgG titer of 1:8000 (by immunofluorescence)
(Fig 1)
In May 2000 an apparently healthy boy was born after a normal pregnancy. A
routine screening of the newborn's blood showed the presence of anti-toxoplamosis IgM
and IgG (61 UI/ml) antibodies (Elisa technique). The mother's serology at that time showed
an IgG titer of 300 UI/ml.
The child was treated with pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine from age 1 month to 12
months and an ophthalmologic examination under general anesthesia was performed at the
age of 9 months. At that time a macular scar typical of ocular toxoplasmosis was seen in the
