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Toxoplasmosis is a common disease found in birds and mammals across North America. The infection is caused by a parasite called toxoplasma gondii. It affects ten to twenty out of every one hundred people in North America by the time they are adults.
Most people who are infected do not show any symptoms. A healthy person's immune system usually prevents the parasite from causing disease.
Those who do get sick with a mild form of the illness usually have flu-like
symptoms including fever, sore throat, sore muscles and tiredness. Glands in
the neck, armpits or groin can become swollen, but they are usually not sore.
In some cases, the infection can also cause blurred vision or loss of vision
temporarily.
All animals and birds can become infected with the toxoplasmosis parasite. The parasite enters the muscles of a bird or animal when it eats raw meat, or drinks the milk, of an infected animal. Cats can also spread the parasite in their feces. The infection can not be spread from person to person.
Common ways for people to become infected with toxoplasmosis include:
Other ways for people to become infected with toxoplasmosis include:
If you are pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant soon, be sure to follow the advice in this BC HealthFile on how to avoid infection.
Your health care provider may test you for toxoplasma. A growing fetus can become infected with the toxoplasmosis parasite. This can happen if the mother is infected with the parasite while pregnant or before she becomes pregnant.
The disease may be most severe when the fetus is infected during the second to sixth month of a pregnancy. Infection in the unborn child early in pregnancy can result in miscarriage, poor growth, early delivery or stillbirth. If a child is born with toxoplasmosis, he/she can experience eye problems, hydrocephalus (water on the brain), convulsions or mental disabilities.
Treatment of an infected, pregnant woman may prevent or lessen the disease
in her unborn child. Treatment of an infected infant also helps reduce the severity
of the disease as the child grows.
Just like other family members, your pet cat can pass disease on to you. Most infected cats do not appear sick. The cat's feces contain the parasite for only two weeks after the cat is infected. However, the feces themselves may remain infectious for over a year. Most cases of toxoplasmosis do not originate from contact with cats, but from consumption of raw meat.
Cats are not likely to be infected if they have been raised indoors, never caught and eaten mice or birds, and never been fed raw meat. A stray or unfamiliar cat that appears sick should not be handled. Report the cat to the SPCA or to the pound.
Here are some tips if you have a pet cat:
Most people will recover from toxoplasmosis without treatment. However, medication is available from your family doctor to treat the infection. Treatment may be required if the eyes or heart are affected or if the infection occurs in persons with weak immune systems or illnesses such as AIDS or cancer.
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