Serological Monitoring of Gestational Toxoplasmosis: Retrospective Analysis of Pregnant Women in Petrópolis, RJ, Brazil

Introduction: Congenital toxoplasmosis is one of the most serious forms of Toxoplasma gondii infection, acquired by the fetus when pregnant women are infected, at the beginning of pregnancy or close to conception. Therefore, diagnosis, monitoring, and guidance during prenatal care are essential factors to help reduce the number of cases of this disease and its consequences. Objectives: To evaluate the serological monitoring of gestational toxoplasmosis during prenatal care based on data collected from medical records of postpartum women treated at a public hospital in Petrópolis city, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, between 2020 and 2022. Methods: Pregnant women were divided into four groups, according to the number of serological tests they were subjected to during prenatal care. Variables related to mother, pregnancy, and prenatal care were analyzed and compared between groups. Results: In total, 240 (39.9%) of the 602 analyzed medical records presented IgG antibodies, whereas eight (1.3%) of them showed IgM antibodies; 16 (2.7%) of patients were subjected to four serological tests during pregnancy; 115 (19.1%) of them were subjected to three tests; 214 (35.5%), to two tests; and 257 (42.7%) of patients only underwent one test. Group 4 was the only group in which all susceptible pregnant women underwent all three serological tests following the initial test. Consequently, the number of toxoplasmosis tests conducted decreased as pregnancy progressed. Conclusions: Based on the analyzed data, approximately 60% of pregnant women were susceptible to infection caused by Toxoplasma gondii, and many were not monitored as recommended by the Ministry of Health."*