Introduction: Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) primary infection acquired during pregnancy can cause, in fetus and newborn, devastating consequences as miscarriage, congenital systemic disease or neuro-ophthalmological manifestations.

Objectives: The objective of our study was to investigate the incidence of congenital infection in a cohort of newborns and to evaluate the neurological, ophthalmological and auditive sequelae in infected ones. Besides, the study proposed to correlate the infection rate and the symptomatic cases rate with gestational age of maternal seroconversion, prenatal treatment and postnatal management.

Subjects, Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in a cohort of 220 patients admitted to three Hospitals of the area of Catania (Cannizzaro Hospital, Garibaldi Hospital and Policlinico Hospital) for suspicion for congenital toxoplasmosis from 1996 to 2017 [M 116 (52.7%), F 104 (47.2%); mean age at the enrollment: 1.28 months]. The patients were selected by prenatal screening in 217 cases (98.6%) or by a successive ophthalmological evaluation in three cases. The parameters analyzed were: gestational history, neonatal anamnesis and short and long-term follow up.

Results: We observed a mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) rate of 13.18% (29/220). No correlation between risk of fetal infection and maternal age (OR=0.33, p=0.124) was found, nor with type of prenatal treatment (spiramycin followed by pyrimethamine-sulphonamide versus spiramycin or pyrimethamine-sulphonamide alone) (OR=1.88, p=0.254). The analysis of correlation between MTCT rate and gestational age at maternal seroconversion showed a direct statistically significant interaction between the two parameters: rate of transmission of 5% at first trimester (OR=0.12), 23% at the second (OR=1.18) and 63% at the third trimester (OR=5.8; p

Prof. Andrea Praticò earned his Medical Degree from the University of Catania in 2007, graduating with 110/110 cum laude with a thesis titled “Pseudohypoparathyroidism IA – Our Clinical Experience.” Since the same year, he has been registered with the Medical Board of Catania. From 2008 to 2013, he attended the Pediatrics Residency Program at the University of Catania, obtaining his Specialization in Pediatrics in 2013 with 70/70 cum laude, presenting a thesis on “Autoimmune Hepatitis in Pediatric Age.”From March to September 2017, he completed a Clinical Research Fellowship at King’s College London, working at King’s College Hospital and St. Thomas’ Hospital, focusing particularly on genetic epilepsies in childhood and sleep disorders, under the supervision of Prof. Deb Pal. In December 2017, he obtained a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Catania, defending a dissertation on Neurofibromatosis Type 2 in Childhood and the use of Bevacizumab in affected patients. He is a member of the Italian Society of Pediatrics and the Italian Society of Pediatric Neurology, serving on its Board of Directors from 2018 to 2021. Additionally, he is a member of the British Pediatric Neurology Association and has been registered with the UK General Medical Council (No. 7582656) since 2017. From November 2016 to October 2023, he was an Adjunct Faculty Member in Pediatrics and Child Neuropsychiatry at the Department of Education Sciences and the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Catania. During the 2022/2023 academic year, he also served as an Adjunct Faculty Member in Medical Genetics at the same institution. From June 2018 to May 2021, he was a Type A Tenure-Track Researcher in General and Specialized Pediatrics at the Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, within the Pediatrics and Child Neuropsychiatry Section. During this period, he also served as the Secretary of the Pediatrics Residency Program at the University of Catania.From September 2023 to October 2024, he was a Type B Tenure-Track Researcher in General and Specialized Pediatrics at the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Enna “Kore.”Since November 2024, he has been an Associate Professor of General and Specialized Pediatrics at the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Enna “Kore.”