Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic disease caused by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. The parasite, which is not visible to the naked eye, but is also very difficult still to be diagnosed and with a microscope and it multiplies inside the cells, in almost all the birds and mammals, including man. In man, alterations and symptoms of the disease usually appear in 30% of infected individuals and concern almost as a rule the person’s first infection with the parasite or infection immunocompromised individuals. Infection or resurgence of toxoplasmosis have serious effects, when they occur during pregnancy (seen in 1-120/10,000 pregnant). Infection of the fetus during the 1st trimester of pregnancy is likely to cause
his miscarriage (of the 1,000 miscarriages observed in humans, 2-8 are due to in toxoplasmosis). Infection of the fetus during the 2nd or 3rd trimester of pregnancy it is likely to cause serious changes in the tissues of the fetus.
In women infected up to 6 months before conception, immunity develops which
usually protects the fetus against future infections of the mother with the parasite. When
the diagnosis of toxoplasmosis in the pregnant woman is made in time and the corresponding one is followed in time medication, then the chance of infecting the fetus is significantly reduced. Unfortunately,
even nowadays, toxoplasmosis is surrounded by prejudices and its “myths”.
past, when its biological cycle had not yet been known in detail toxoplasma (1960s).
If you can keep your cat indoors, you can protect yourself by cleaning
daily the litter box from your cat’s feces. Then you need to close it tightly
garbage bag to destroy pests biologically.
Wear gloves when working in the garden, where cats are likely to frequent, and wash them thoroughly
your hands afterwards. During operations, do not eat or smoke.
Thoroughly wash your hands, the table surface and the knives you used
during the processing of raw meat. In addition, you use different cooking tools
for meat and for vegetables. Using the same knife you used to cut raw meat
(which may be contaminated), in cutting washed vegetables, bread or other
food, is very dangerous because it can carry parasites from the cysts
toxoplasma and infect them.
Wash your fruits and vegetables by immersing them in a bowl of water.
Never eat raw mince or undercooked meat or raw country sausage, because probably 1 in 2
cattle, 1 in 4 sheep, pigs, etc. they have toxoplasma. In addition, drink only boiled or
pasteurized milk.
The cat does not directly infect humans with toxoplasma, unless o
man consumes raw cat meat. If you really want to
reduce your chances of becoming infected with the parasite:
It just needs proper information. If you chase your cat away or if you don’t touch cats, no
you reduce your risk of infection with the parasite. The incidence of toxoplasma infection
remains the same high, both in people without a cat and in cat owners (it makes sense,
because the cat has nothing to do with human infection). After all, they have not been found ripe
oocysts of the parasite in the cat’s fur (makes sense, because the cat constantly cleans the
her hair). Finally, in areas where there are no cats, the frequency of human infection
with toxoplasma does not decrease and remains as high as in the areas with cats (it is
logical, because the cat has nothing to do with the human infection).
For your own protection If your cat goes outside the house, then it is at risk of being infected with toxoplasma (in Greece 0.9% of cats that catch mice, etc. are infected with toxoplasma).
To protect your cat during pregnancy, keep her indoors and don’t
feed her raw meat.
If your cat lives exclusively indoors and does not eat raw meat, then it cannot
be infected with toxoplasma. Keep your cat indoors and do not feed it raw meat.
To protect your cat we must remember that the cat defecates with its feces in the
environment, only immature oocysts (which do not infect), which
take at least 24-48 hours to mature oocysts (infecting). This means that cat feces are not dangerous for
at least 24 hours from the moment they are in the external environment (in the garden, in
sandpit of the house etc.). Usually, cats that are infected and are older than
year do not spread the parasite in the environment, because they have already acquired immunity to it
parasite.
The cat spreads Toxoplasma in the environment for a total of 2-20 days in a lifetime
her, provided, however, that she eats raw meat (e.g. mouse, birds or the owner gives her raw meat).
