Management of Toxoplasma gondii screening in pregnancy: light and shade

Abstract

The aim of our study was to evaluate the performance of screening for toxoplasmosis in pregnancy through comparing the data obtained from Italian and foreign women. 3074 women, 2465 Italians (80.2%) and 609 foreigners (19.8%) had undergone screening for serological detection of anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibodies in the years 2005-2007. 85.0% of the Italian women and 84.1% of the foreign women had the first blood test in the first trimester of pregnancy (difference not statistically significant).Among anti-Toxoplasma negative women average of blood tests during pregnancy was 3.69 for the Italians and 3.42 for the foreigners (p <0.01). 32.2% of Italian and 28.3% of foreign women were subjected to five or more blood tests (difference not statistically significant). Considering the trimester of pregnancy, the percentage of Italian and foreign women tested at least once in every trimester was respectively 58.0% and 45.2% (p <0.01). In conclusion, our data show that on the one hand the screening is active in controlling women within the first trimester of pregnancy, while on the other it appears weak in fully implementing the follow up, as indicated by the legislation currently in force. In addition, foreign women undergo fewer tests covering all trimesters compare to Italian women. This problem should be taken into account in terms of health policy.

Keywords

• Anti-Toxoplasma antibodies, Screening of Toxoplasma, Pregnancy