title: Role of spiramycin in prevention of fetal toxoplasmosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of spiramycin in prevention of mother-to-child transmission of Toxoplasma gondii infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients within first trimester of their pregnancy with Toxoplasma IgM positivity (>0.65 index, ELISA, VIDAS) and IgG positivity (>8 IU/ml), who had low IgG avidity (<0.50 index, ELISA, Architet) were considered as having acute toxoplasmosis. These patients who had amniocentesis at the 19th-21st week of pregnancy were examined for the detection of Toxoplasma DNA. Detailed ultrasonographic examinations performed between the 20th and 24th gestational weeks and the mothers and babies were followed for at least one year.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 61 patients, 55 (90.2%) had received Spy prophylaxis while 6 (9.8%) cases refused Spy prophylaxis. Toxoplasma PCR test was found to be positive in amniotic fluid of 4 (6.6%) patients obtained by amniocentesis at the 19th-21st week of pregnancy. All four of these patients had refused Spy prophylaxis had positive Toxoplasma PCR in amniotic fluid (p < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results seem to encourage the use of spiramycin in women with toxoplasmosis during pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Perinatology , Kanuni Sultan Suleyman Education and Research Hospital , Istanbul , Turkey .
authors.forename: Muhittin Eftal
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Avci
authors.affiliation: b Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology , İstanbul Medipol University Hospital , Istanbul , Turkey , and.
authors.forename: Ferhat
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Arslan
authors.affiliation: a Department of Perinatology , Kanuni Sultan Suleyman Education and Research Hospital , Istanbul , Turkey .
authors.forename: Şinasi
authors.initials: Ş
authors.lastname: Çiftçi
authors.affiliation: a Department of Perinatology , Kanuni Sultan Suleyman Education and Research Hospital , Istanbul , Turkey .
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ekiz
authors.affiliation: c Department of Perinatology , Cerrahpasa Medicine Faculty, Istanbul University , Istanbul , Turkey.
authors.forename: Abdullah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tüten
authors.affiliation: a Department of Perinatology , Kanuni Sultan Suleyman Education and Research Hospital , Istanbul , Turkey .
authors.forename: Gökhan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yildirim
authors.affiliation: c Department of Perinatology , Cerrahpasa Medicine Faculty, Istanbul University , Istanbul , Turkey.
authors.forename: Rıza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Madazli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018890:Chemoprevention; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D015597:Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First / Q000187:drug effects; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015572:Spiramycin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014122:Toxoplasma; D014123:Toxoplasmosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000635:transmission; D014125:Toxoplasmosis, Congenital / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015572:Spiramycin
keywords: Amniocentesis; PCR; Toxoplasma gondii; prophylaxis; spiramycin