A comprehensive study of maternal and congenital toxoplasmosis

One of the recognized routes of transmission of the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii is through congenital transmission, which could result in genetic or developmental disorders of the fetus or may even lead to miscarriages. Despite this, only a few countries have mandatory screening of pregnant women for congenital toxoplasmosis (CT). This study analyzed the stances of different countries on adding CT in prenatal screening programs from published journal articles from 1993 to 2022 along with their respective stances on including CT. Ultimately, 34 articles from countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America were extracted and nine different points of discussion were presented. Furthermore, nine major Toxoplasma risk factors were identified in the extracted articles. Most of the included articles agreed with the inclusion of CT in prenatal screening. Nevertheless, it should be kept in mind that the prevalence and the different genotypes of T. gondii, the cost-effectiveness of and participation rate in screening programs, and the general knowledge of toxoplasmosis differs in each country. With this, the researchers suggest examining the effect of making the inclusion of CT in prenatal screening mandatory versus only testing for it upon request and whether it is still cost-effective to retain the mandatory CT screening programs in European countries after years of implementation. Further assessment of the current serological screening protocol of CT is also proposed