Congenital toxoplasmosis
Symptoms
What are the main symptoms of congenital toxoplasmosis
The main symptoms, known as the "classic triad", of congenital toxoplasmosis are:
- Chorioretinitis (inflammation in the back part of the eye that can cause blindness)
- Hydrocephalus (too much fluid around the brain)
- Intracranial calcifications (bright spots in the brain seen on ultrasound that usually don't cause problems by themselves)
Other symptoms of congenital toxoplasmosis may be present when the baby is born, but can also take 20-30 years to appear. In fact, most newborn babies with congenital toxoplasmosis will not show any signs of the infection right away. Some symptoms might start to appear in early childhood, like intellectual and learning disabilities, and others might not occur until adulthood, such as hearing or vision loss. Studies have shown that up to 80% of people with congenital toxoplasmosis will develop learning disabilities or vision loss later in life.
References
- Jones, J., Lopez, A. and Wilson, M. (2003) Congenital toxoplasmosis. Am Fam Physician 67(10): 2131-2138. http://www.aafp.org/afp/2003/0515/p2131.html
More Symptoms Content
When do the symptoms of congenital toxoplasmosis appear?
What health problems should I look for in congenital toxoplasmosis?
Any there other diseases that look a lot like congenital toxoplasmosis?
When do the symptoms of congenital toxoplasmosis appear?
The symptoms of congenital toxoplasmosis may be present when the baby is born but often develop later; some features may take 20-30 years to develop. Most newborn babies with congenital toxoplasmosis will not show any signs of the infection right away. Some symptoms might start to appear in early childhood, including intellectual and learning disabilities, and others might not occur until adulthood. Studies have shown that up to 80% of people with congenital toxoplasmosis will develop learning disabilities or vision loss later in life.
References
- Jones, J., Lopez, A. and Wilson, M. (2003) Congenital toxoplasmosis. Am Fam Physician 67(10): 2131-2138. http://www.aafp.org/afp/2003/0515/p2131.html
What health problems should I look for in congenital toxoplasmosis?
While the main symptoms of congenital toxoplasmosis are chorioretinitis (inflammation in the back part of the eye), hydrocephalus (too much fluid around the brain), and intracranial calcifications (bright spots in the brain seen on ultrasound), there are many other possible symptoms. These symptoms include:
- Miscarriage
- Anemia (low number of blood cells)
- Seizures
- Deafness
- Vision loss
- Fever
- Delayed/slow growth
- Large spleen
- Large liver
- Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes due to liver disease)
- Learning disabilities
- Intellectual disabilities
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Skin rash
- Microcephaly (small head size)
- Spasticity, palsies (difficulties with muscle coordination)
References
- Jones, J., Lopez, A. and Wilson, M. (2003) Congenital toxoplasmosis. Am Fam Physician 67(10): 2131-2138. http://www.aafp.org/afp/2003/0515/p2131.html
- Jones, J.L., Parise, M.E. and Fiore, A. E. (2014) Neglected parasitic infections in the United States: Toxoplasmosis. Am J Trop Med Hyg 90(5): 794-799. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4015566/
Any there other diseases that look a lot like congenital toxoplasmosis?
Since the symptoms of congenital toxoplasmosis can be vague/non-specific (for example,low birth weight, seizures, feeding problems, or anemia), other infections can look like congenital toxoplasmosis. Infections with similar symptoms include congenital infection with herpes simplex virus, cytomegalovirus, and rubella virus.
References
- Jones, J., Lopez, A. and Wilson, M. (2003) Congenital toxoplasmosis. Am Fam Physician 67(10): 2131-2138. http://www.aafp.org/afp/2003/0515/p2131.html
