Definition of Congenital toxoplasmosis:

Congenital toxoplasmosis is a group of symptoms that occur when an unborn baby (fetus) is infected with the parasite Toxoplasma gondii.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

The developing baby can become infected with toxoplasmosis if the mother becomes infected with toxoplasmosis during the pregnancy. The infection may spread to the developing baby during the pregnancy itself, or during labor or delivery.

For the mother, the toxoplasmosis infection is generally mild, and she may not be aware of it. Infection of the developing baby, however, can cause severe problems. Infection early in pregnancy results in more severe problems than later infection.