 | About 60 to 70%! | of the people in Europe are seropositive, i.e. have been contaminated with toxoplasms during their life. Usually there are no specific symptoms associated with this infection (fever, weakness...), but where it gets dangerous is during pregnancy : risk of fetal malformation or even abortion. |
What causes this disease ?
The infectious agent is a unicellular germ (neither a virus nor a bacterium) which can infect most of the species whose meat people consume. During the infection, toxoplasms form tissular cysts e.g. in the muscles. These cysts can be infectious for people if the meat is not well cooked.
Cats can be a potential carrier of toxoplasma ovocysts which are excreted with the stools. In some cases insects or snails play a role in human toxoplasmosis because they can carry ovocysts (by contact with infected fecal matters) and contaminate salad or vegetables. 70% of the cats are infected with toxoplasms during their life, depending on the type of food they get (raw meat for instance), the cat's age and if the cat is an indoor- or an outdoor cat. Pregnant women should have their cat tested for toxoplasmosis.
How can we avoid toxoplasmosis infection ?
- Avoid eating raw meat
- Clean your cat's litter box daily ; ovocysts which could be present in the cat's stool only get infectious after 2 to 4 days.
- Pregnant women should have another person do this for her. Have your cat tested (stools or blood test) by your vet.
