Cats & Toxoplasmosis - how dangerous are they?

[Mohd]

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There is an ongoing arguement in my house about getting a cat, so I wanted to know:
- How effective is Toxoplasmosis vaccine?
- How risky is Toxoplasmosis gonadii on young girls?
- Any thing else I should know about!
Thanks 👍

 

[SomeDoc]

There is an ongoing arguement in my house about getting a cat, so I wanted to know:
- How effective is Toxoplasmosis vaccine?
- How risky is Toxoplasmosis gonadii on young girls?
- Any thing else I should know about!
Thanks 👍

Pregnant females are especially at risk and should avoid contact with pet cats (fecal matter) due to risk of birth defects. (crosses placenta)
Brain abcess=main symptom in normal individuals.
Loss of vision is another complication in latent t.gondii infections.

 

[TMP-SMX]

You have nothing to worry about with toxo unless you are immunocompromized or pregnant. If a woman develops a primary infection with toxo it can cause congenital defects in the fetus. The next fetus will not have congenital toxo. If a woman is infected prior to pregnancy there is no risk to a future fetus since immunity is the rule.

The cats get it from eating rodents and other animals infected with the parasite. Indoor cats are less likely to get it and anyone changing the litter box should wash their hands after and try to avoid breathing in the dust from the litter. A pregnant woman who has not yet been exposed should avoid changing the littler box entirely.

There is no vaccination for toxoplasmosis.

 

[Mohd]

Many thanks for the replies, so it seems cats aren't that scary after all =) !
And by vaccine I meant the one for cats, I read about it some where but I'm not sure about it though!

 

[PeepshowJohnny]

If you have a cat, you will die. It's true, I read it on the internet.

 

[Mohd]

If you have a cat, you will die. It's true, I read it on the internet.

have u got any "evidence"

 

[psipsina]

You have nothing to worry about with toxo unless you are immunocompromized or pregnant. If a woman develops a primary infection with toxo it can cause congenital defects in the fetus. The next fetus will not have congenital toxo. If a woman is infected prior to pregnancy there is no risk to a future fetus since immunity is the rule.

The cats get it from eating rodents and other animals infected with the parasite. Indoor cats are less likely to get it and anyone changing the litter box should wash their hands after and try to avoid breathing in the dust from the litter. A pregnant woman who has not yet been exposed should avoid changing the littler box entirely.

There is no vaccination for toxoplasmosis.

Also if the box is scooped daily if there is toxo in there it doesn't have time to sporulate. So scoop daily, wash your hands, and don't let pregnant women scoop the box.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

If you have a cat, you will die. It's true, I read it on the internet.

That's true. 😱

Seriously, companion cats are very rarely ever a health risk to anybody, even pregnant women. You have to have a cat who eats something other than commercially prepared food and not be too quick on the litter box cleaning to have any risk of transmission. Here's the scoop from the HSUS.

http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/pregnancy_and_toxoplasmosis.html

 

[zygote]

As a veterinary student who just took an exam in parasitology I feel the need to reply. One of the things that most people don't know is that the majority of toxo cases in humans are not due to exposure to cat feces, but from eating undercooked meat, particularly mutton, venison, and pork and from drinking unpasteurized goat milk. There are many more human cases of toxo in Europe due to this reason. As mentioned before, the parasite is the biggest risk for pregnant females due to risk of abortion, and those who are not pregnant may or may not show symptoms (it is suspected that as much as 20% of the population has an antibody titer to toxo). The good news it that a cat is only infective while it is shedding oocysts which is about 1-3 weeks, and once it has stopped shedding it is protected for life. This means that as long as you practice good hygiene with the litter box (change every day, wash hands after cleaning) there is almost no risk of contraction. If it is really a problem you can have the cats titers checked and if they are positive there is absolutely no risk of infection, even to pregnant women, or just get an older cat who has a high likelyhood of already being exposed.

 

[Mohd]

Thanks for the replies every one =)

 

[Agent Splat]

We have three cats in our apartment. We also used to have 4 other humans, but they all died from toxo and I'm the only one left because I'm strangely immune. Now I hide in my basement and only come out in the daytime because it's not safe otherwise.

 

[ZagDoc]

You should be fine as long as you avoid "high risk activities" surrounding felines.