AMY'S ARTICLES
UNDERSTANDING
TOXOPLASMOSIS
Don’t let anyone (your mom, sister, friend, or even doctor!) scare you into giving up your cat by whispering about the dangers of toxoplasmosis. Yes, the disease can be dangerous especially to unborn babies, but a pregnant woman would have to be pretty unsanitary to catch anything from her cat. Here’s what you need to know to protect yourself, your children, and your feline friends. The single cell organism Toxoplasma gondii, a parasitic protozoan, can be found in nearly all mammals (including cats and dogs), and has evolved to infect people and animals without making them sick. It’s been estimated that half the people in the United States have been exposed, but never developed symptoms. When they do, the most common sign in both people and pets is transient swelling of the lymph glands. Cats become infected either by swallowing the infective stage of the protozoan from the environment, by eating infected animals, or by eating raw meat. The protozoan multiplies in the wall of the small intestine and produce egg-like oocysts. Infected cats are the only animals that pass on these immature forms of the organism; they are shed in the cat's stool. And THAT’S how kitty got the bad rap. However, the oocysts are passed in great numbers in the cat's feces for only two to three weeks. Once this stage is passed it's rare for the cat to ever again shed the eggs. It takes two to five days for the oocysts to mature into infective forms of the organism. These organisms can survive in moist or shady soil or sand for many months. The disease is spread when an animal or a person swallows these infective organisms. Once inside the bird, rodent, cat or person, the protozoan continues to mature, causing pockets of disease throughout the body. If the victim survives this stage of the illness, usually symptoms go away and the disease becomes dormant; the protozoan remains in certain muscle tissues and even the brain. Cats are diagnosed when a microscopic examination of their stool reveals oocysts, which means the cat is at that time capable of spreading disease. A blood test shows if the cat has ever been exposed. A positive test in an otherwise healthy cat means Kitty is actively immune, and is an unlikely source of disease. In fact, cats rarely show signs of the disease. The immune system of most cats interferes with the life cycle of the organism, so that toxoplasmosis in cats enters a dormant phase often for the remaining lifetime of the cat. It’s easy to prevent the spread of the disease. Since several days are needed for the oocysts to become infective, simply cleaning the cat's litter box each day eliminates that route of infection. People in high-risk groups, such as pregnant women or those with compromised immune systems should have someone else perform litter box duty. The chance of contracting toxoplasmosis from a well cared for pet cat is extremely low. The most common infection source in people in the United States is undercooked or raw meat, especially pork. To reduce risk even further, wash your hands after handling raw meat, and cook it thoroughly before eating. Don't feed your cat undercooked or raw foods, and prevent the cat from hunting. Wear gloves while working in the garden to prevent contracting the disease from the soil. If you plan to become pregnant, ease your worries by asking the doctor to perform a blood test to see if you’ve ever been exposed to the disease. If a woman has been infected before becoming pregnant, she'll be immune and her future baby will be protected against infection. Those interested in further information should refer to Centers for Disease Control. |
However, the disease can cause
life-threatening illness in immune suppressed people, as well as unborn babies
of pregnant mothers who become infected during the pregnancy--and the mom
rarely show any symptoms.