A toxoplasmosis test is used to detect a current infection with the microscopic parasite Toxoplasma gondii. The test may be done soon after pregnancy to detect toxoplasmosis infection in a newborn baby or to screen pregnant women for the antibodies to the parasite. Toxoplasmosis is a disease of the cats caused by a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii and may cause flu-like symptoms. It can also be carried by many warm-blooded animals (birds or mammals). Human infection results from ingestion of the parasites in raw or undercooked meat, contaminated vegetables or other foods, following careless handling of cat litter, or from soil by soil-eating children. It can also be transmitted during pregnancy via the placenta. Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic infection that can be passed from mother to baby through the placenta during pregnancy. An infection with Toxoplasma gondii can cause eye and central nervous system infections as well as brain and muscle cysts. If acquired during the pregnancy, it may result in a miscarriage or cause birth defects, though this depends on the time during the pregnancy in which the infection was acquired by the mother.