DRUG INDEX
Toxoplasmosis
(Toxo)
What is toxoplasmosis?
Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by a single-celled parasite named toxoplasma gondii. It is found throughout the world. More than 60 million people in the United States probably carry the toxoplasma parasite, but very few have symptoms because the immune system usually keeps the parasite from causing illness.
What factors increase the risk of acquiring toxo?
The following situations potentially expose a person to the toxoplasma parasite and increase the risk of acquiring toxoplasmosis: - Touching your hands to your mouth after gardening, cleaning a cat's litter box, or anything that came into contact with cat feces.
- Eating raw or partly cooked meat, especially pork, lamb, or venison.
- Touching your hands to your mouth after contact with raw or undercooked meat.
- Organ transplantation or transfusion, although this is rare.
- If a woman is pregnant when she is infected with toxo, the infection can be transmitted from her to the baby with sometimes catastrophic consequences.
What are the usual symptoms of toxoplasmosis?
Although people infected with toxoplasmosis are often unaware of having this disease, typical symptoms of toxo are like flu with swollen lymph glands and muscle aches and pains that last for a few days to several weeks.
Why do some people develop severe problems from toxo?
Just as very few people with toxo have symptoms "because the immune system usually keeps the parasite from causing illness," anyone without a normal immune system is at risk for serious problems from toxo.
Can toxoplasmosis develop into a more serious illness in babies?
Yes, the immune system in infants does not complete its maturation until after birth.
The babies of women who were exposed to toxo within a few months of becoming pregnant or during pregnancy are at an increased risk for developing a severe case of toxo.
Women who were first exposed to toxo more than 6 months before becoming pregnant are not likely to pass the infection to their children.
What is meant by a baby developing "a more severe case of toxo"?
Children born with toxoplasmosis can be afflicted with mental retardation, convulsions, spasticity, cerebral palsy , deafness , and severely impaired vision. The infant's head may be abnormally small ( microcephaly ) or abnormally large due to increased pressure on the brain ( hydrocephalus ).
How about children or adults with immune deficiency?
Persons with weakened immune systems such as those born with an immune defect, those with AIDS (HIV infection), those taking certain types of chemotherapy , and those who have recently received an organ transplant are at risk for developing a severe case of toxo. In these people, an infection that occurred anytime during life can reactivate and cause the severe symptoms of toxoplasmosis such as damage to the eye or brain.
How is toxo diagnosed in the lab?
There are many different kinds of blood tests for toxoplasmosis. The results can determine if the patient has had toxo and whether the infection is recent ("acute") or not.
How can toxoplasmosis be prevented?
Since toxo usually causes no symptoms or merely mild ones, and a healthy immune system prevents any remaining parasites in the body from causing further symptoms, most people don't need to worry about getting this disease.
However, if you have a weakened immune system or are pregnant, there are several steps you should take to prevent exposure to toxoplasmosis. - If you have a weakened immune system, get a blood test for toxoplasmosis. If your test is positive, your doctor can tell you if and when you need to take medicine to prevent the infection from reactivating.
- If you are planning on becoming pregnant, you may consider being tested for toxo. If the test is positive, there is no need to worry about passing the infection to your baby (since you should have immunity against the parasite).
- If you are already pregnant, you should discuss your risk of toxoplasmosis with your doctor who may order a blood sample for testing.
- Wear gloves when you garden or do anything outdoors that involves handling soil. Cats, who may pass the parasite in their feces, often use gardens and sandboxes as litter boxes. Wash your hands well with soap and warm water after outdoor activities, especially before you eat or prepare food.
- Have someone who is healthy and not pregnant handle raw meat for you. If this is not possible, wear clean latex gloves when you touch raw meat and thoroughly wash with soap and hot water any cutting boards, sinks, knives, and other utensils that might have touched the raw meat. Wash your hands well with soap and warm water afterwards.
- Cook all meat thoroughly, that is, until it is no longer pink in the center or until the juices run clear. Do not taste meat until it is fully cooked.
Am I able to keep my cat?
Yes, but if you have a weakened immune system or are pregnant, there are some steps to take to avoid being exposed to toxo.
Help prevent your cat from getting infected with toxo. Keep cats indoors and feed them dry or canned cat food. Cats can become infected by eating or being fed raw or undercooked meat that is infected with the parasite. Don't bring a new cat into your house that might have been an outdoor cat or might have been fed raw meat. Avoid handling stray cats and kittens. Your vet can answer any other questions you may have regarding your cat and risk for toxoplasmosis.
Have someone who is healthy and not pregnant change your cat's litter box. If this is not possible, wear gloves and clean the litter box daily (the parasite found in cat feces needs a few days after being passed to become infectious). Wash your hands well with soap and warm water afterwards.
Once infected with toxo, is my cat always able to spread the infection to me?
No, cats can only spread toxo in their feces for a few weeks after they are first infected with the parasite. Like humans, cats rarely have symptoms when first infected, so most people don't know if their cat has been exposed to toxo. There are no good tests available to determine if your cat is passing toxo in its feces.
What is the treatment for toxoplasmosis?
Once the diagnosis of toxoplasmosis is confirmed, you and your doctor should discuss whether treatment is necessary. In an otherwise healthy person who is not pregnant, treatment is not needed. Symptoms will usually go away within a few weeks. For pregnant women or persons who have weakened immune systems, drugs are available to treat the parasite that causes toxoplasmosis. - Toxoplasmosis (toxo) is a disease caused by a parasite that is found all over the world.
- Toxo is acquired from contact with cats and their feces.
- Toxo is also acquired from eating or touching raw or partly cooked meat.
- Symptoms can range from none to very severe.
- A woman who contracts toxo right before or during pregnancy can transmit it to her baby with catastrophic consequences.
- People with immune deficiencies are at high risk for developing severe signs and symptoms of toxo.
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