[A case of congenital toxoplasmosis confirmed by detection of Toxoplasma gondii in placenta].

We report a case of congenital toxoplasmosis with a prenatal diagnosis of fetal hydrocephalus. A CT scan performed at birth revealed ventricular dilation with calcification. The serum and CSF Toxoplasma specific IgM were elevated. The diagnosis was confirmed by the presence of Toxoplasma cysts in the placenta, and detection of the Toxoplasma SAG1 gene by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (placenta, positive; CSF, negative). Signs of active central nervous system infection, such as the decreased CSF glucose, and elevated CSF protein, neuron specific enolase and LDH, resolved after initiation of treatment with pyrimethamine and sulfazoxine. A PCR test using the placental tissue may be useful for the rapid diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis.