Patient's question:
Doctor, hello. Recently, I heard from a friend that her husband has toxoplasmosis. I've never heard of such a disease before, and now I'm afraid to get close to her husband, worried that he might infect me. Could you please tell me if toxoplasmosis can be transmitted from person to person? I hope a doctor can answer this for me. Thank you!Doctor's answer:
Hello, Toxoplasma can also be transmitted from person to person. Pregnant women can transmit Toxoplasma to the fetus through the placenta. Women with Toxoplasmosis, if they have a hematogenous stage (i.e., active Toxoplasma, Chlamydia, and Trophozoites) during pregnancy, the fetus will definitely be infected. 80% of all fetuses are latent chronic Toxoplasmosis carriers, carrying the infection for life. Another portion becomes polyergic, which is actually polyergic Toxoplasmosis. A small portion becomes stillbirths with deformities or intellectual disabilities.During breastfeeding, since the infant becomes a "disease-carrier immune" individual, even if the breast milk contains Toxoplasma, the infant is not significantly affected. Each feeding acts as a vaccination with live vaccine. The infant can develop normally. A woman with Toxoplasmosis, regardless of how many children she has, will definitely transmit the infection to the fetus or infant if there has been any hematogenous dissemination during pregnancy or breastfeeding. However, the severity of symptoms varies.