A 28-year-old pregnant woman from France gives birth to a newborn with hydrocephalus, intracranial calcifications, and chorioretinitis. Serology confirms a protozoal infection acquired through exposure to cat feces. Which organism is responsible?
- A Trypanosoma cruzi
- B Toxoplasma gondii ✓
- C Leishmania donovani
- D Plasmodium vivax
Correct answer: B. Toxoplasma gondii
Explanation
Toxoplasma gondii causes congenital toxoplasmosis with the classic triad: hydrocephalus, intracranial calcifications, and chorioretinitis. Cats are definitive hosts; oocysts shed in cat feces are the source of human infection. Transmission also occurs through undercooked meat containing tissue cysts. The other organisms do not produce this congenital syndrome.
Reference: Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases, 9th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.