Toxoplasmosis

Retinal condition caused by parasitic infection

Condition

Toxoplasmosis is a common parasitic infection that affects the retina. If the infection settles in the macula, good vision is permanently lost. When contracted by a pregnant woman, it can be very harmful to the unborn baby. Simple precautions can reduce the chance of infection.

Pregnant women should not touch litter boxes or eat raw meat because parasites may be in cat feces or undercooked meat. Tests can identify women who are at risk of passing the infection to an unborn child.

Risk factors

Human infection may occur from ingestion of contaminated or undercooked meat and dairy products, direct or indirect ingestion of cat feces and transplacental transmission from an infected mother to the fetus. Toxoplasmosis can only be transmitted to a fetus during maternal parastemia.

Normal eye

Symptoms

Unilateral, mild ocular pain, blurred vision and new onset of floating spots

Treatment

The goal of management is twofold:

1) eradicate the parasite and

2) suppress the inflammatory response. The classic treatment regimen combines pyrimethamine with sulfadiazine. Both medications inhibit the folic acid metabolism necessary for toxoplasmosis to survive.

Legal

Site Map