Cord blood screening for congenital toxoplasmosis: detection and treatment of asymptomatic newborns in Basel, Switzerland.
Cord blood screening is a helpful tool for the detection of infants probably infected with Toxoplasma gondii, if serological data of the mothers are not available. Testing for toxoplasma specific IgM and IgG antibodies of about 30,000 cord blood sera gave information about the changes in prevalence and incidence of toxoplasmosis in pregnant women in Basel between 1983 and 1991. The follow up and treatment of the infected children revealed the need of a randomized study comparing high and low dose treatment schedules.