Congenital Toxoplasmosis or the Tip of an Iceberg. Report of Two Cases

Abstract

Among the many parasitic diseases observed in the tropics, Toxoplasmosis is a fairly common occurrence. An infected pregnant woman can transmit it, transplacentally, to her foetus. Two cases of congenital toxoplasmosis are discussed in this study. One patient is at 7 days of life, while the other is at 9 days of life. The newborns displayed the typical symptoms of jaundice, hepatosplenomegaly, chorioretinitis, and cranioencephalic abnormalities. However, the uniqueness of these observations is the presence of umbilical haemorrhage, a symptom not described in the literature researched. The evolution of this finding, during treatment is distinguished by the symptoms persisting until six months of age, in addition to growth retardation of saturation-weight, with no retardation of psychomotor development in one patient, and with hydrocephalus accompanied by psychomotor retardation in the other one. Hence, it is recommended that pregnant women are systematically screened for toxoplasmosis, and seronegative women are monitored; in fact, the early and suitable management of congenital toxoplasmosis will significantly control this parasitosis.