Toxoplasma infection and pathological outcome of pregnancy

To better evaluate the role of infection with Toxoplasma gondii in the outcome of pregnancy, 2,108 women with unsuccessful pregnancies (1,747 with spontaneous abortion, 187 with preterm delivery, 126 who delivered stillborn infants, and 48 whose offspring presented with clinical signs at birth) were tested for toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibodies during late pregnancy and/or up to 6 weeks after its termination. A nonpregnant group consisting of 157 women and a group of 568 women with a normal pregnancy were included as controls. The parameters observed were the prevalence of infection and the rates of acute and chronic infections. A causal relationship was established between acute infection during pregnancy and preterm delivery, stillbirth, and birth of infants with abnormal cranial volume, whereas there was no such association between acute toxoplasmosis and spontaneous abortion, or chronic infection and any of the pathological entities.