Toxoplasmosis: Do not abandon your cat because of your pregnancy
Toxoplasmosis: Do not abandon your cat because of your pregnancy.
Some organizations of animal protection have detected multiple cases of abandonment of domestic cats before the pregnancy of their owner. This action is due in many cases to the ignorance of the families, with respect to the topic of toxoplasmosis and how a cat can get infected and, subsequently, transmit it to the humans with whom it lives.
Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by a parasitic protozoan of the genus Toxoplasma called Toxoplasma gondii, in humans once infected, it usually passes with symptoms that can be confused with a common flu or even without symptoms. However, in pregnant women or immunosuppressed individuals it can have severe consequences. In the case of pregnant women, there may be losses (during the first trimester) and congenital malformations (during the second and third trimesters). If the infection is in the days closest to the birth, nothing may happen.
It is true that the cat is the final host of the disease, is the only species that can transmit the parasite by contagion, but not always directly, although many animals, including humans, can be carriers. However, the problem is that the idea or myth has spread that felines will be the only source of direct transmission of the disease and that they represent a high risk in pregnant women, forgetting that not all cats will be candidates for carry the parasite. In fact, the domestic cat, guaranteed by veterinary specialists, will never infect toxoplasmosis if it does not have access to the outside and only eat prepared foods. This statement is based on several scientific facts, such as the feeding of feline domestic pets and the improbability of these animals coming into contact with infected animals. Then the myth is that the cat is the main transmitter, forgetting among other causes, one of the main sources of transmission of Toxoplasma gondii, the intake of raw meat, cooked for less than 72 degrees, not properly washed or the consumption of water that has not received sanitary treatment that makes it suitable for consumption and that is contaminated with the parasite.
However, for the Cat-Human transmission to be produced directly, a series of circumstances must be given and for the cat to spread with the parasite, the domestic cat would have to infect itself by eating a mouse, a bird or other animal ... or raw meat that was previously contaminated with Toxoplasma gondii. If the cat were contagious, it would only release the parasite to the excrement only once in life and for a few weeks. Even if it were infected again, it would not release the parasite more times into the environment.
It is important to point out that for the parasite present in the cat's excrement to be contagious to the human or food, they would have to be in contact with the air for more than 24 hours. Therefore, the risk of infection disappears if the cat's tray is cleaned once a day with a shovel and gloves. In addition, for a human being or in this case the pregnant woman, to be infected with the parasite, she would have to manipulate the excrement directly with her hands and then have oral contact with her. Therefore, it is clear that the spread of toxoplasmosis with a pregnant woman or the rest of the family can be avoided if very simple guidelines are followed, including not giving raw meat to the cat and even not being consumed raw by the family; do not carry out the work to the garden or the garden, where, hypothetically, there could be infected excrements, or always do it with gloves, you must thoroughly clean fruits and vegetables before consuming them, cook the meat well before consuming it, as the Toxoplasma dies at 72 degrees.
The cat has been generalized almost as the only factor of contagion ", indicates the veterinarian Martín Campos, of PAE. But he manifests; that there is no reason to keep the cat away from the family when there is a pregnancy. However, he acknowledges that the myths surrounding this disease make many people decide to abandon their pets for fear of being infected. That's why he recommends: "do a veterinary checkup to the cat to know if it has or not the parasite and see if there is a risk of infection," he explains. If the result is positive, the only thing recommended is to handle the waste of the animal carefully and wash your hands to prevent the parasite from entering the body of the pregnant woman. But if your cat is domestic, completely healthy with an adequate diet, this will not be a danger for you or your family.
reference:
Elgato and toxoplasmosis. Affinity Petcare S.A Copyright 2015. Online: https://www.affinity-petcare.com/advance/es/gatos/cuidado/el-gato-y-la-toxoplasmosis.
Gabriela Castellanos. Myths about toxoplasmosis: The cat is not to blame. Daily THE COMMERCE. 2017 Online: http: //www.elcomercio.com/narices-frias/mitos-toxoplasmosis-gato-embarazo-contagio.html. If you are thinking of using it, please cite the source and link to the original note where you have taken this content from. ElComercio.com