Let's start with some theory
There is such a dangerous disease - toxoplasmosis. In humans, it is caused by the microscopic parasite Toxoplasma gondii. These protozoa can penetrate into any cells of the body (muscle, nervous, cardiac tissue) and infect them. For most of us, infection (and recovery) is asymptomatic. Rarely, there are signs of a cold - fatigue, a slight increase in temperature, swollen lymph nodes. And then a person develops a stable lifelong immunity.
It seems to be not dangerous ... But Toxoplasma is detrimental to the fetus in the womb - right now the child's cells are defenseless against the "enemy", they are actively dividing and forming all organs and tissues. The shorter the gestational age, the more serious the consequences can be and the higher the risk of having a child with severe signs of congenital acute toxoplasmosis.
When infected in the I-II trimester, the fetus carries toxoplasmosis in utero, which leads to severe malformations, brain damage or intrauterine death. For up to 24 weeks, the woman will be advised to terminate the pregnancy. If the infection of the fetus occurred in the third trimester, then there may be no pronounced clinical symptoms at birth at all, but appear after a few months and years in the form of deafness, epilepsy, mental retardation 🙁 🙁 🙁 The so-called chronic latent or manifest toxoplasmosis.
But not everything is so sad. According to the information I found on various medical forums, only 20% of infected pregnant women experience transplacental transmission of the parasite to the fetus. Another fact is also noteworthy: the shorter the gestational age (pregnancy ...), the lower the risk of transmission of infection from mother to child: up to 8 weeks, the risk of infection is 17%, at 8-18 weeks - 25%, at 18-24 weeks - 65 %, at 24-40 weeks - 80%.
If a woman is diagnosed with a primary infection with toxoplasmosis, prenatal diagnosis of the fetus is carried out (they can take cord blood for analysis and / or amniotic fluid). If no damage to the fetus is found, special therapy is prescribed. Treatment will further reduce the risk of damage to the fetus.
A woman risks the health of her child only if she herself first became infected with toxoplasmosis during pregnancy or 6 months before conception.
How can infection occur?
To do this, you need to know that a person cannot become the final owner of the parasite, only Toxoplasma reproduces! in the body of cats. It is the cat (but not only it!) that can become a source of infection for a pregnant woman. That is why it is NOT recommended to have cats, i.e. let the animal into the house for the first time and come into close contact with it.
If your cat has been living with you for a long time, then do not rush to kick the animal out of the house right now or panic at any cat scratch.
Remember:
- 90% of women who keep a cat in the house for several years are immune to toxoplasma.
- Not just a cat... Even if you reduce all contacts with cats to zero, the risk of infection, of course, will decrease, but will not disappear. Parts of the feces of an infected cat can get to you with street dust, from vegetables and fruits, from a beloved dog who ate grass, where a previously “bad” cat made a toilet, by eating poorly fried meat (up to 25% of meat products are infected with toxoplasmosis) or any food contaminated with cat feces.
- When planning a pregnancy, get tested for antibodies to Toxoplasma, and you will definitely know how to behave.
- If antibodies are not detected, in order to prevent infection, be sure to wear rubber gloves when working in the beds, processing raw meat, cleaning the cat litter. Better yet, clean the toilet after your beloved pet by entrusting another family member - you can also inhale particles of feces.
- About cat excrement, you should know the following: in the "fresh" form, they are not contagious. Toxoplasma needs time to mature. maturation in the external environment is necessary. If you clean the toilet right away and wash it with soap (rather than just flicking the poop into the toilet), then it is very difficult to get infected in this way.
- You should also not kiss a cat, in the acute period, Toxoplasma is excreted with the saliva of a sick animal.
- You can take cat feces for analysis, if the cat is “clean”, try to protect it from the disease. The principles are the same: do not give raw meat, during your pregnancy do not lead to mating and do not let go outside (a cat can become infected by eating infected mice, from other animals, or simply by collecting pathogens on its paw and licking it. If cat feces enter the external environment, the pathogen remains active for up to two years.
- Watch the integrity of your skin, parasites can penetrate from the ground or from products through any wound or crack on the finger.
In general, sadly, cat feces with toxoplasma surround us everywhere, and it is extremely difficult to protect ourselves from the disease. But who is forewarned is forearmed!
Sourced from www.oparazitah.com
