The likelihood of contracting toxoplasmosis Only cats who ingest tissue cysts get infected. Within the feline population, this would be limited to outdoor cats who hunt and eat rodents, as well as cats who are fed raw meat by their owners. Typically a cat only excretes oocystsis when they are first exposed to T.
The prevalence of oocyst shedding in cats is very low (0-1%), even though at least 15-40% of cats have been infected with Toxoplasma at some point. This means very few cats at any one time are actually able to pass their infection on to people.
It is unlikely that you would be exposed to the parasite by touching an infected cat because cats usually do not carry the parasite on their fur. In addition, cats kept indoors (that do not hunt prey or are not fed raw meat) are not likely to be infected with Toxoplasma.
Toxoplasmosis is usually diagnosed based on a cat's history, signs of illness, and laboratory test results. Measurement of two types of antibodies to T. gondii in the blood, IgG and IgM, can help diagnose toxoplasmosis.
Cat feces with the parasite.
Cats that hunt or who are fed raw meat are more likely to carry toxoplasma parasites. You may get infected if you touch your mouth after touching anything that has been in contact with cat feces. This may be gardening or cleaning a litter box.
Toxoplasmosis is caused by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. In the United States it is estimated that 11% of the population 6 years and older have been infected with Toxoplasma. In various places throughout the world, it has been shown that more than 60% of some populations have been infected with Toxoplasma.
The chances of getting toxoplasmosis for the first time during pregnancy are thought to be very small. Even if you do become infected for the first time during pregnancy, this doesn't necessarily mean your baby is in danger. In many cases the infection doesn't spread to the baby.
Cats who have been infected with toxoplasmosis will frequently have no symptoms. A smaller number of cats might develop diarrhea, or respiratory problems, or even problems with their eyes. The majority of cats, though, will be permanently infected with the parasite and show no outward signs of illness.
The parasite becomes infective one to five days after it is passed in the feces of the cat. The parasite can live in the environment for many months and contaminate soil, water, fruits and vegetables, sandboxes, grass where animals graze for food, litter boxes, or any place where an infected cat may have defecated.
Risks to your baby's breathing
Never allow cats into any room where a baby or child is sleeping. A cat may settle to sleep near a baby's face. This is very dangerous. It could interfere with your baby's breathing.
You can become infected with Toxoplasma by: Eating raw or partially cooked pork, lamb, or venison. Accidentally touching your hands to your mouth after gardening or cleaning a cat's litter box. Touching your hands to your mouth after handling raw or undercooked meat.
Although toxoplasmosis is a relatively common infection, it usually causes no disease in infected cats. However, if the cat is immunocompromised and its immune system is not working properly, Toxoplasma may continue to replicate, spread, and cause damage to tissues.
Adults can become infected after by eating raw or undercooked meat infected with Toxoplasma gondii tissue cysts. People can only become infected with Toxoplasma gondii parasites through contact with infected animal faeces (usually cat faeces).
If you have an indoor cat who only eats cat food and doesn't have contact with outside animals, your risk of toxoplasmosis is very low.
In most cases, once you have gotten toxoplasmosis, you cannot get it again. There have been reports of people who have gotten infected more than one time. For example, people with a weakened immune system could develop another active toxoplasmosis infection.
Fortunately, the risk of maternal transmission of the parasite to the fetus during the first trimester of pregnancy (when the baby is most vulnerable) is relatively low — at 15-20 percent. However, by the third trimester, a pregnant woman with toxoplasmosis has a 60 percent chance of infecting her child.
Toxoplasma and Cats:
Cats that eat raw meat or rodents can be infected, and the parasite lives in the cat's feces for only two weeks. If infected cat feces is buried in soil, Toxoplasma gondii eggs can live up to 18 months.
No. You should follow these helpful tips to reduce your risk of environmental exposure to Toxoplasma: Avoid changing cat litter if possible.
Testing your cat
The test checks for antibodies to Toxoplasma parasites. If your cat tests negative, this means he has never been exposed to the Toxoplasma organism and cannot transmit the disease to you.
The overall positive rates of Toxoplasma gondii in stray cats were 38.9% (28/72), with 15.3% (11/72) in ELISA and 30.6% (22/72) in PCR. The positive rate in male stray cats was slightly higher than that of female stray cats.
Can I clean the litter box while pregnant if I wear a mask? You can safely clean a litter box while pregnant by wearing a mask and other protective gear such as gloves. It's important to protect yourself against all kinds of harmful bacteria when you're pregnant.
The toxoplasma parasite can infect your placenta and your baby and cause a condition called congenital toxoplasmosis, but it's very rare for this to happen. Of all babies born, between one in 10,000 and one in 30,000 are born with congenital toxoplasmosis .
While infection in early pregnancy poses a small risk of fetal transmission (less than 6%), rates of transmission range between 60% and 81% in the third trimester. Conversely, although the transmission of T gondii during embryogenesis is rare, it results in far more serious effects on the fetus.
But the earlier in pregnancy you get infected, the more serious the baby's problems may be after birth. For example, your baby could have damage to the liver, brain and eyes. Up to 1 in 2 babies (50 percent) who are infected with toxoplasmosis during the pregnancy are born early (preterm). Some infected babies may die.
By screening these retinal photographs, we estimated the prevalence of ocular toxoplasmosis at one in 150 Australians. This might seem surprisingly common, but it fits with the way people catch Toxoplasma. In addition to pet cats, Australia has huge populations of feral cats.