Raw and undercooked meat, unwashed fruits and vegetables, contaminated water, dust, soil, dirty cat-litter boxes, and outdoor areas strewn with cat feces are all common places to find the parasite Toxoplasma gondii.
It can make you and your unborn child sick with toxoplasmosis, which is dangerous for both of you.
When should I be concerned about toxoplasmosis?
Your baby is usually safe from Toxoplasma infection if you had it before you got pregnant. If you’ve recently been sick, you might want to wait six months before trying to conceive.
How can Toxoplasma affect my baby?
Toxoplasma can be transmitted to an unborn child if the mother contracts the disease for the first time during or shortly before pregnancy.
The infection could be asymptomatic for you. Most infected newborns show no signs of illness, but some go on to develop severe symptoms like blindness or mental disability. Newborns who are infected occasionally suffer from severe eye or brain damage.
How do I know if I have been infected with Toxoplasma?
Your doctor may recommend a blood test to look for Toxoplasma antibodies or even a battery of tests.
How is toxoplasmosis spread?
Toxoplasmosis is a disease that is primarily spread by cats. Mice, birds, and other small animals that carry the disease are the source of infection.
The parasite is then excreted by the cat. Millions of parasites can be passed in the feces of infected kittens and cats for up to three weeks after infection. Infected adult cats are less likely to shed Toxoplasma than younger cats.
It’s possible to unintentionally expose yourself if you touch your mouth after changing a litter box or after gardening without gloves, since cats and kittens prefer these areas as elimination sites.
You can get sick from eating raw fruits and vegetables because they may have come into contact with contaminated soil or water.
Toxoplasmosis is a disease that is primarily spread by cats.
Do I have to give up my cat if I’m pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant?
No. These guidelines will help you lower your exposure to Toxoplasma in the environment:
- If at all possible, put off changing the cat litter. Wear disposable gloves and then wash your hands with soap and water if you have to do the work yourself because no one else will.
- Make sure the cat’s litter box is cleaned once a day. Infectious Toxoplasma is not released for 1–5 days after being shed in cat poop.
- Do not give your cat raw or undercooked meat, but rather commercially prepared dry or canned food.
- It’s best if cats don’t venture outside.
- Kittens and other stray cats should be avoided. Do not get a new cat if you are expecting a child.
- Keep sandboxes outside covered.
- Always use caution when gardening or playing in the dirt, as it could be contaminated with Toxoplasma from cat feces. After working in the garden or playing in the sand, it’s important to wash your hands with soap and water.
Is there treatment available for toxoplasmosis?
Medication is available for those who contract the virus while pregnant. Throughout your pregnancy and after the baby is born, you and your child need to be closely monitored.
What are the best ways to protect myself or my baby against toxoplasmosis?
These precautions should be taken by cat owners and other women who may be at risk of contracting Toxoplasma because of their proximity to cats.
- Try not to have to change the cat litter too often. Wear disposable gloves and then wash your hands with soap and water if you have to do the work yourself because no one else will.
- Make sure the cat’s litter box is cleaned once a day. Infectious Toxoplasma is not released for 1–5 days after being shed in cat poop.
- You shouldn’t give your cat any kind of raw or undercooked meat, only commercial dry or canned food.
- Your cat is safer inside the house.
- Stray cats, especially kittens, should be avoided. If you are expecting a child, you should not get a new cat.
- Sandboxes should be protected from the elements by being kept indoors.
- Always use caution when gardening or playing in the dirt, as it could be contaminated with Toxoplasma from cat feces. Gardening or playing in the sand or dirt should be followed by a thorough washing with soap and water.
- You can safely change diapers and feed your baby after washing your hands.
You should, in addition to washing your hands,
- To prevent the spread of diseases like Toxoplasmosis, it is important to cook food to a safe internal temperature. Using a food thermometer is the only surefire way to know if something has been cooked to safety levels. Except for seafood, you cannot use color and texture as a reliable indicator of whether or not a dish has been properly cooked.
- Make sure the internal temperature of your food reaches an acceptable level by using a food thermometer. Mastering the proper placement of the thermometer in various foods is essential for obtaining an accurate reading.
- Meats such as beef, veal, lamb, and pork, as well as fresh ham, in their whole form: 145 degrees Fahrenheit (and let it rest for 3 minutes before cutting or eating).
- When cooking finfish, the internal temperature should reach 145 degrees Fahrenheit, or until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.
- Beef and pork ground meats: 160°F
- 165 degrees Fahrenheit for all chicken and turkey products, including ground
- Casseroles and other leftovers: 165 degrees
- You can find a comprehensive list of temperatures and foods in this chart.
- Meat can be cooked with much less risk of infection if it has been frozen for several days at temperatures below 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Meat can harbor a variety of parasites, including Trichinella species, and harmful bacteria, neither of which are effectively killed by freezing.
- Stay away from water that hasn’t been purified.
- Don’t risk your health by consuming raw goat’s milk.
- Oysters, mussels, and clams may be contaminated with Toxoplasma due to unsanitary water conditions, so avoid eating them raw or undercooked.
- Visit the Food Safety website for tips on how to avoid getting sick from contaminated food.
Can I breastfeed my baby if I contracted a Toxoplasma infection during pregnancy?
Yes. Toxoplasma infection is unlikely to be passed on through breast milk. While there is evidence linking Toxoplasma infection to infants who drank unpasteurized goat’s milk, no studies have shown that Toxoplasma can be transmitted from mother to child via breast milk.
A theoretical risk of Toxoplasma transmission to a nursing infant exists if the nursing mother develops cracked and bleeding nipples or breast inflammation within a few weeks of a recent infection (while the organism is still present in her bloodstream).
Toxoplasma could live in the blood of immunocompromised women for longer periods of time. However, the risk of transmission through human milk remains extremely low.