Scientists say that seventy percent of people on our planet are infected with parasites, the most common of which is Toxoplasma gondii (toxoplasma). Many of you have probably heard horror stories about this disease. But is it really so? Now doctors around the world agree that this infection does not pose a great danger to humans. The article will highlight some issues related to this disease, namely: what is toxoplasmosis, diagnosis (PCR) of the disease, what danger awaits pregnant women infected with this parasite, how they are diagnosed and treated.
Pathogens
Toxoplasmosis is a common parasitic infection of humans and animals caused by protozoan microorganisms. To detect this disease, a PCR analysis is prescribed. Toxoplasmosis is caused by protozoan intracellular parasites. Visually, they look like an orange slice or a crescent. Their sizes are very small - about 5-7 microns. These microorganisms can reproduce both sexually and asexually. During sexual reproduction, cysts are formed, it is they that make the human or animal body infectious. With such an infection, the disease can proceed quite aggressively. If the products of asexual reproduction have entered the body, then the course of the disease, as a rule, is asymptomatic and short-lived, without causing discomfort to a person.
The causative agent of the disease is most often pets, namely cats. There is an opinion that mice infected with toxoplasmosis cease to be afraid of cats, which means they become easy prey for a predator. Unfortunately, people can also easily become infected with this parasite. And it causes some disorders in the body. Toxoplasmosis is especially dangerous during pregnancy. Therefore, if you keep cats at home, you can contact your doctor to prescribe an analysis for toxoplasmosis (PCR). But not only cats can be a source of infection. Toxoplasma carriers are more than two hundred mammals and more than a hundred species of birds. A sick person does not emit a pathogen into the environment, therefore it does not pose a danger to others.
Mechanism of infection
Often, infection occurs through unwashed hands and greens, fruits collected from the ground. When you pet or kiss a pet, Toxoplasma cysts can get into your mouth. You can also catch the disease by eating poorly cooked meat, drinking raw milk.
There are three ways to get this parasite:by oral route (most often), during transplantation of internal organs and during blood transfusion. The cyst begins its path of infection from the lower part of the small intestine, then enters the lymphatic system, and from there spreads to all organs. In the organs where the cyst begins to actively multiply, inflammatory processes occur. But it should be noted that it is impossible to determine only by external manifestations without PCR analysis toxoplasmosis. The symptoms of this disease are very similar to the manifestations of a wide variety of ailments.
Symptoms
As mentioned above, to detect the parasite, it is necessary to pass PCR tests. Toxoplasmosis is insidious in that its symptoms are veiled under the signs of other diseases. Most often it is confused with SARS. Here are the main manifestations of the disease:
- temperature increase to thirty-eight degrees;
- chill;
- joint and muscle pain;
- fatigue;
- drowsy;
- sluggishness;
- enlarges the spleen and liver;
- rash develops;
- showing signs of jaundice;
- may cause strabismus;
- enlarged lymph nodes.
The incubation period of the disease usually lasts two weeks, but can reach several months. In a he althy person with a good immune system, very often the clinic of the disease does not manifest itself at all. A person in this case does not even suspect that he needs to donate blood for toxoplasmosis (PCR). And if this, byAccording to many doctors, it is practically safe for an adult, he althy person, then pregnant women need to carefully monitor their he alth. And several times during pregnancy to take tests to detect Toxoplasma cysts.
PCR - toxoplasmosis and pregnancy
It is highly undesirable for a woman planning a pregnancy to become infected with Toxoplasma. The danger lies precisely in the primary infection. If the expectant mother was already a carrier of cysts, then her body has powerful antibodies that can cope with this infection. But it must be said that the percentage of such infection is very small - only 1%. This disease can adversely affect the unborn baby only if the infection occurred in the early stages of pregnancy - in the first trimester. Therefore, if you are planning to have a child, then at first limit yourself from the source of possible infection and take a PCR test. Toxoplasmosis, diagnosed in a timely manner, will save you from many problems in the future. There is a certain relationship between the timing of infection and the consequences for the child:
- The earlier in pregnancy the mother is infected, the more likely it is that the consequences for the child will be very severe. But at the same time, a very small percentage of the fact that the disease is transmitted to the fetus.
- In late infection - low percentage of severe fetal lesions, but high transmission of cysts to the baby.
Unfortunately, it is not always possible to determine with the help of analyzes whether there isDoes the woman have toxoplasmosis? Diagnosis of PCR is a very complicated procedure, it is done only in large medical centers. There are no such conditions in small towns and district centers.
Prevention of primary Toxoplasma infection during pregnancy
It is necessary to emphasize that the test for the detection of Toxoplasma cysts must be taken before pregnancy, and not during it:
- If antibodies are found in the blood of the future mother, then you can safely become pregnant - there will be no danger to the fetus.
- If signs of primary infection are found, then pregnancy should be postponed for six months.
- If the mother has not yet been infected with cysts, then additional precautions must be taken so that infection does not occur in the first trimester of pregnancy.
So, having passed the PCR test in time, toxoplasmosis can be prevented. The good news is that it is quite easy to protect yourself and your loved ones from this disease. To do this, it is enough to adhere to the following recommendations:
- Strictly follow the rules of personal hygiene: wash your hands before eating; vegetables and fruits collected in the garden must be thoroughly washed and scalded with boiling water, there is only well-fried and boiled meat;
- follow the rules for keeping pets: change the pot of sand every day, wash the tray with disinfectants; if you notice vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy and lack of appetite in a cat, contact your veterinarian immediately.
And in order to prevent the risk of occurrence and developmentcongenital disease, you must:
- take a PCR test at the stage of pregnancy planning - toxoplasmosis, detected in the early stages, is easier to treat;
- comply with all measures to prevent infection;
- re-screen several times during pregnancy;
- in case of primary infection, complete the full course of treatment to minimize the risk of fetal damage.
PCR (toxoplasmosis). Early diagnosis
It is very important to diagnose the disease in time. Not only pregnant women are prescribed PCR tests (toxoplasmosis). Qualitative definition of infection helps in the treatment of many serious diseases. Here are the situations in which a doctor may prescribe PCR:
- HIV infections;
- immunodeficiency state;
- hepatosplenomegaly of unknown origin;
- fever of unknown origin;
- lymphadenopathy of unknown origin/
This is a small part of the reasons why a PCR test (toxoplasmosis) is ordered.
Transcript of analyzes
How is infection determined? How is a PCR test performed (toxoplasmosis)? Diagnostic methods consist in the detection of IgG and IgM antibodies to Toxoplasma in the blood. Toxoplasma gondii, like all microorganisms, consists of complex organic substances. When they enter the bloodstream, our immune system perceives them as hostile and begins to produce antibodies (immunoglobulins) that accumulatein the body at some concentration. Antibodies M and G are different from each other. IgM antibodies accumulate in the first days of infection. In high concentration, they are in the human blood for about two months, and then disappear. The maximum amount of IgM antibodies falls on the second - third week. And if a high concentration of this particular immunoglobulin is detected, that is, a PCR analysis (toxoplasmosis) will show a positive result, we can talk about the acute phase of the disease. IgG immunoglobulins begin to be produced three days later than IgM immunoglobulins. The maximum concentration of these antibodies falls on the fourth to fifth week after infection. These antibodies remain in the blood for life. IgG immunoglobulins prevent re-infection of the body. If the PCR test (toxoplasmosis) is negative, then this indicates that the person has not been infected with this infection.
Formation of diagnosis
When a detailed diagnosis is formed, it usually indicates the following:
- a form of toxoplasmosis (it can be congenital or acquired);
- character of the course of the disease (inapparent, chronic, subacute, acute);
- type of pathology: systemic or organ;
- severity of the course of the disease.
Treatment
In no case should you self-medicate if you have been diagnosed positively by PCR (toxoplasmosis). Treatment can only be prescribed by a qualified doctor. The method and intensity of treatment is determined by the doctor depending on the test results. Atsluggish toxoplasmosis, the doctor can only prescribe drugs that stimulate the immune system. But in the subacute and acute course of the disease, tetracycline drugs, chingamine, antihistamines, vitamins and immunostimulating substances are prescribed. If chronic toxoplasmosis is diagnosed, then intramuscular injections of toxoplasmin are prescribed.
Dispanserization
Assign or not medical examination, the doctor decides separately in each case. It all depends on the form and course of the disease. If a person has suffered an acute form of the disease, then he will have to be examined every four months. In the chronic form - twice a year.
Prevention
Once again, let's turn to the methods of disease prevention. Even if the PCR test (toxoplasmosis) is negative, follow strict hygiene rules: eat only well-washed fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Conduct heat treatment of meat products. Take good care of your pets. Especially these remarks apply to pregnant women or those who are just planning to become a mother.
