Dispelling Myths About Toxoplasmosis

December 04, 1988|By Ann L. Huntington, Tribune Media Services.

Mention the word toxoplasmosis and chances are most people will either give you a blank stare or, more likely, say ``Oh, that`s that terrible sickness pregnant women get from cats.`` The basic problem is that

toxoplasmosis, although widespread and potentially serious, is buried in mounds of ``myth-information.``

So just what are the facts? Toxoplasmosis is caused by the villainous and all too prevalent parasite, Toxoplasma gondi. This parasite can only complete its evil life cycle in the intestines of a cat. It is excreted in feline fecal matter. People can come in contact with the parasite orally if, for example, they empty a cat`s litter box and then fail to wash their hands before preparing food or eating.

The chances of a human ``catching`` this disease by simply touching and caring for a cat are extremely small, however. In almost all cases, toxoplasmosis in humans can be traced to handling or eating raw or undercooked meat (cattle can pick up the parasite by eating grain contaminated by cats`

fecal matter).

Toxoplasmosis can be a serious threat to pregnant women and people with AIDS. AIDS patients are at serious risk to toxoplasic encephalitis. And it has been estimated that only 5 to 30 percent of U.S. women of childbearing age are immune to T. gondi. When a pregnant woman is infected by the parasite early in her pregnancy, spontaneous abortion is extremely likely. If she is infected in pregnancy, her child may be born with congenital toxoplasmosis, which can result in permanent eye damage and even mental retardation. It also has been estimated that 3,300 babies afflicted with toxoplasic encephalitis are born each year in the United States.

There are precautions pregnant women who own cats should take:

- Wash your hands after handling raw meat, and be sure to cook the meat thoroughly.

- Do not feed your cat meat; use commercial cat food and keep the cat indoors so it cannot dine on wildlife.

- Avoid the cat`s litter pan by allowing someone else to empty it and clean it. Also, the pan should be washed with scalding water or disinfected with a 10 percent solution of ammonia.

- Wash your hands after handling your cat or any other animal.

- Forgo gardening for the time being but, if vital, wear rubber gloves.

- If you have a child`s sandbox in the yard, cover it when it`s not being used so your cat doesn`t use

What are the symptoms of this disease? In cats they are usually undetectable because they are so mild. Among healthy children and adults they are also comparatively mild and appear much like signs of the flu: sore throat, swelling of the lymph nodes, headache, muscle ache and poor appetite. Now for some good, constructive news. Toxoplasmosis can now be diagnosed in pregnant women and effective preventive treatment is possible, which can prevent or certainly reduce the severity of the disease in a child. -