Toxoplasmosis
Should a woman breastfeed her infant if she had contracted a
toxoplasmosis infection during her pregnancy?
Yes. Among healthy women, the possibility of breast milk transmission of
Toxoplasmosis infection is not likely. While Toxoplasmosis infection has
been associated with infants who consumed unpasteurized goat’s milk,
there are no studies documenting breast milk transmission of
Toxoplasmosis gondii in humans. Perhaps, in the event that a
nursing woman experiences cracked and bleeding nipples or breast
inflammation within one to two
weeks immediately following an acute Toxoplasmosis infection (when the
organism is still circulating in her bloodstream), it is theoretically
possible that she could transmit Toxoplasma gondii to the infant through
her breast milk. Immune suppressed women could have circulating
Toxoplasma for even longer periods of time. However, the likelihood of
human milk transmission is very small. To learn more about Toxoplasmosis,
visit
CDC's Parasitic Disease Information site dedicated to Toxoplasmosis.
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Page last updated: May 22, 2007
Content Source: Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion