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Vol. 14. Issue 2.
Pages 186-189 (March - April 2010)
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Vol. 14. Issue 2.
Pages 186-189 (March - April 2010)
Case report
Open Access
Congenital toxoplasmosis transmitted by human immunodeficiency-virus infected women
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Kátia Martins Lopes de Azevedo1,
Corresponding author
kmlazevedo@yahoo.com.br

Correspondence to: Disciplina de Doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias, Hospital Universitário Antônio Pedro Rua Marquês do Paraná, 303, 2° andar Niterói – RJ – Brazil CEP: 24030210. Phone/Fax: +55 21 26299311.
, Sérgio Setúbal2, Vania Gloria Silami Lopes3, Luiz Antônio Bastos Camacho4, Solange Artimos de Oliveira5
1 MD – Discipline of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Hospital Universitário Antônio Pedro, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brazil
2 MD, PhD – Discipline of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Hospital Universitário Antônio Pedro, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brazil
3 MD, PhD – Department of Pathology, Hospital Universitário Antônio Pedro, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brazil
4 MD, PhD – Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
5 MD, PhD – Discipline of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Hospital Universitário Antônio Pedro, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brazil
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Abstract

We report the occurrence of congenital toxoplasmosis in three infants born to HIV infected women who had high anti-toxoplasma IgG and negative IgM during pregnancy. We briefly reviewed available literature and discussed the possible transmission mechanisms of congenital toxoplasmosis among HIV infected pregnant women. Serum samples were tested for Toxoplasma gondii IgM and IgG antibodies using commercial enzyme immunoassay and IgG-avidity tests. In the first case, fetal death occurred at 28th week of gestation. In the second case, congenital toxoplasmosis was diagnosis at 6th month of life; and in the third case, an HIV-infected newborn, congenital toxoplasmosis was asymptomatic. These cases point out to the possibility of enhanced maternal-fetal transmission of T. gondii infection by HIV-infected women chronically infected, which may have important public health consequences, considering that increasing frequency of HIV-infection has been observed among women of childbearing age around the world.

Keywords:
congenital toxoplasmosis
human immunodeficiency-virus
prevention
AIDS
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