In addition to serious eye disease, toxoplasmosis can cause severe lung or brain disease for a person with weakened immunity. Rarely, the infection can show up in other tissues throughout the body. Lung infection may cause: Breathing problems.
Overexposure to Ammonia
Breathing in cat urine can actually make you sick. Cat pee is full of ammonia, a toxic gas that can cause headaches, trigger asthma attacks, and even result in serious respiratory illnesses such as pneumonia.
Typical symptoms of cat urine allergy include: red eyes, itchiness of the skin, nose, sneezing, headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, coughing etc. Highly concentrated ammonia in cat urine can also cause dangerous diseases like pneumonia and bronchitis.
Minor symptoms from exposure for short periods include queasiness, lightheadedness and headaches. Severe symptoms, from longer periods of exposure, include bronchitis, pneumonia, respiratory distress and damage to the lining of the respiratory tract and lungs.
Most people who become infected with Toxoplasma gondii are not aware of it because they have no symptoms at all. Some people who have toxoplasmosis may feel as if they have the “flu” with swollen lymph glands or muscle aches and pains that may last for a month or more.
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.
It shouldn't come as a surprise that pet urine is a biohazard waste that could cause severe problems if not dealt with correctly and on time. Sometimes, cats and dogs end up urinating around the house, and this could be for many reasons.
Renal Failure and Acute Uremia in Cats. The sudden onset of abnormally high levels of urea, protein products, and amino acids in the cat's blood is referred to as acute uremia. This condition usually follows kidney injuries or occurs when the urinary tubes that connect the kidney to the bladder (ureters) are obstructed ...
"A cat's teeth are very small so they inoculate these bacteria into your skin, but it's almost like getting stabbed with a needle," said Campbell. Cats' mouths contain bacteria called Pasteurella multocida which can cause infections in humans.
Litter boxes that aren't cleaned regularly enough can contain buildups of urine and feces, resulting in dangerous ammonia fumes. Ammonia, which is a toxic gas, can cause serious breathing issues and other problems.
Infections in humans may be acquired from either dogs or cats, but they are more commonly acquired from cats [4]. In some instances, however, Pasteurella infections occur without known exposure to an animal [10]. P. multocida urinary tract infections (UTIs), although previously reported, are extremely rare [11–15].
Smell does not usually contain bacteria, which carry disease and are much larger than the gaseous molecules that make up a smell. So the odor itself cannot make you sick.
As the cat feces dry, the oocysts may become aerosolized. They can thus be inhaled by a person changing cat litter or just walking in an area where cats have defecated. An outbreak of toxoplasmosis among patrons of a riding stable was thought to have occurred in this manner.
People can be infected by: Accidental ingestion of oocysts after cleaning a cat's litter box when the cat has shed Toxoplasma in its feces. Accidental ingestion of oocysts after touching or ingesting anything that has come into contact with a cat's feces that contain Toxoplasma.
Besides being the main culprit behind cat urine's noxious smell, exposure to ammonia can leave your kitty with irritated eyes, nose, throat, lungs and skin an even trigger asthma or upper respiratory infections, which can be dangerous and costly with vet visits.
Publisher Summary. Endogenous urea is normally harmless and excreted in the urine; however, its introduction into the alimentary tract can cause poisoning.
What's more, once a pet urinates on the carpet, if it is not cleaned thoroughly – and immediately – the water in the urine evaporates, leaving behind even more concentrated ammonia. This can have a tremendous negative effect on people who have COPD, asthma, or emphysema, and it may even cause allergies.
Cat urine has a powerful ammonia-like odor that can smell even worse when there is a problem. If your cat has uncharacteristic accidents around your home, it's essential to consider your cat's health. The first step should always be to consult your veterinarian.
About 20 percent of the American public is infected with Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite that can infect birds and most other animals but that reproduces sexually only in cats. The parasite typically remains dormant in people after an initial few days of mild flu-like symptoms, said Dr.
Healthy people (nonpregnant) Most healthy people recover from toxoplasmosis without treatment. Persons who are ill can be treated with a combination of drugs such as pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine, plus folinic acid.
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.