Clinical relevance of placenta examination for the diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis.

Background: Neonates with congenital toxoplasmosis, even asymptomatic at birth, should be treated early to reduce long-term sequelae. Postnatal diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis is essential because prenatal diagnosis fails to detect approximately 15% of cases or cannot be performed when maternal infection is acquired in late pregnancy. Detection of parasites in the placenta is one diagnostic approach to the early neonatal diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis.