Toxoplasmosis and pregnancy

Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by the protozoa toxoplasma gondii that is prevalent worldwide. The protozoa was given its name when it was first isolated in 1909 in Africa in a rodent, Ctenodactylus gondii. It can be contracted by eating infected meat or eggs that are raw or undercooked, or through contact with the feces of an infected cat. More dangerously, it can be congenitally acquired by transfer through the placenta if the mother contracts the disease during pregnancy. Although the flu-like symptoms of the disease can be mild in adults (fatigue, muscle spasms, lymphadenopathy) or often subclinical, infants who acquired the disease congenitally face severe mental and physical problems.