Previous maternal infection with Toxoplasma gondii and the risk of fetal death.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the association between previous maternal Toxoplasma gondii (T gondii) infection and risk of fetal death. This was a population-based prospective cohort of 29,912 pregnant women without acute T gondii infection in Norway. In the study population, 2937 (9.8%) women had evidence of previous maternal T gondii infection, and 299 (1.0%) had fetal deaths. We found no association between previous T gondii infection and risk of fetal death at > or = 20 weeks of gestation. We did find a trend for an increased risk of fetal death at > or = 16 and <20 weeks of gestation. However, we noted no association between previous T gondii infection and risk of fetal death at all birth weight categories (> or = 1000, > or = 500 and <1000, and <500 g). These data do not indicate an increased risk of fetal death at > or = 20 weeks of gestation in women with previous maternal T gondii infection.