title: [Prevention and treatment of congenital toxoplasmosis: organization protocol].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Prevention and treatment of congenital toxoplasmosis are still a matter of debate among obstetricians, pediatricians and epidemiologists. There is no consensus about antenatal screening and diagnostic tests, nor there is about treatment for presumed infection in pregnancy. As an example of this type of organisation for health care delivery, a regional model has been promoted as a multidisciplinary approach for prenatal diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis. The model had been designed on the national guidelines of the National Health Institute (Istituto Superiore di Sanità, ISS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Suspected maternal infections are referred and seen as outpatients at our centre on a specific day of the week; maternal investigation (specific IgG, IgM, IgA and IgG avidity titres) are performed at the Institute of Virology of the University of Bari, and patients are started on spiramycin. All cases of true or presumed seroconversion are counselled for amniotic fluid sampling and the sample is sent to ISS. In cases of late seroconversion and positive amniotic fluid results, patients are prescribed pyrimethamine+sulphonamide+folinic acid and alternate spiramycin until the end of pregnancy. A fetal-neonatal follow-up is performed in all cases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the period 1999-2001, 180 cases of presumed toxoplasmosis infection have been referred (average 60 cases per year). We have been able to reclute, since the adoption of the national network protocol, 1/3 of presumed regional cases with a positive increasing trend.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The service for prenatal diagnosis of toxoplasma gondii infection has definitely benefitted from the adoption of this protocol, which combines adherence to a national network and pays respect to regional requirements.
authors.affiliation: II Clinica Ostetrica e Ginecologica, Università degli Studi di Bari, Bari, Italy. vimercati@gynecology2.uniba.it
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vimercati
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Angelici
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: De Cosmo
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Doria
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Cuccovillo
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lezzi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nigro
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lucaselli
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pontrelli
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Selvaggi
mesh_terms: D002985:Clinical Protocols; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D012307:Risk Factors; D014125:Toxoplasmosis, Congenital / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy*