Congenital toxoplasmosis: when a screening is missed

Congenital toxoplasmosis occurs in 1:1000 to 1:10000 live births and the spectrum of manifestations is wide. We report a case of male infant with confirmed congenital toxoplasmosis infection after seroconversion between the 2nd and 3rd trimester. Despite having started adequate treatment after birth, ophthalmological lesions were permanent. The benefit of maternal treatment is not well established and prevention should be the key. Introduction: Transplacental transmission of Toxoplasma gondii is responsible for congenital toxoplasmosis. The variant parasite prevalence throughout the world, along with different national maternal screening programs, explains that the estimated incidence of this infection is of 1:1000 to 1:10000 live births. The risk of infection depends on the timing of maternal infection, increasing during the course of pregnancy and reaching a 65-71% risk in the third trimester[1],[2]. The gestational age at the time of maternal infection also accounts for the ample clinical outcome, being more severe in the early stages of fetus development, when it can lead to spontaneous abortion or stillbirth. Although congenital toxoplasmosis is subclinical in 75% of infected newborns1, the spectrum of manifestations is wide, going from hearing loss and ophthalmological lesions to severe compromise of central nervous system.