Currently, there is no vaccine to protect against Toxoplasmosis in humans or cats. For sheep, Toxovax® has been put on the market in the last few years and has had a major impact on the farming economy and consumption of meat products. Scientists urge farmers to vaccinate their whole flock since a single dose can provide lifetime protection from Toxoplasmosis for a sheep. Continue reading “Vaccine & Scientific Developments”
Is your pet cat safe? Are you and your cat safe together? The answer is yes! It is not possible to contract Toxoplasmosis from petting or playing with a cat. As mentioned before, the primary way for a human being to become infected by T. gondii is by un-safe handling of cat litter that has not been disposed of properly and within five days of shedding.
Higher rates of T. gondii infection are seen in feral and homeless cats rather than in domestic cats, domestic cats can just as easily contract the resulting disease. Cats who scavenge for food or spend more time outdoors are more likely to come across an infected rodent, unclean soil or food products to consume, or contaminated cat feces. Once exposed to the parasite, however, a cat develops immunity against T. gondii. This means they can only be infected one time while expressing symptoms, though very mild symptoms can occur from a second infection (1,3). Continue reading “You & Your Animals!”
Studies in the U.S. show that Toxoplasmosis is the one of the leading causes of food-borne-illness related deaths, following some of the biggest pathogen outbreaks such as salmonella and norovirus. The US Department of Agriculture reports about half of all Toxoplasmosis cases are caused by ingestion of contaminated particles, which most commonly are soil and raw or under-cooked meat products, primarily lamb, pork, and cured meats such as salami and prosciutto (4). Continue reading “Risk Factors & Preventative Measures”
Before T. gondii can infect a human being, there is a complex set of processes that occur first. Transmission begins in the intestines of domestic cats, felids (cat family) being the only species in which the T. gondii parasite can sexually reproduce and grow. The way that cats contract T. gondii, similarly to humans, is typically by consuming raw or under-cooked meat products, which can include eating infected rodents (3). Continue reading “Transmission”
Toxoplas-what? 