Why is Toxoplasmosis Important During Pregnancy?

Toxoplasma is normally a disease that most people will pass through with flu-like symptoms without noticing and can gain immunity, but when experienced during pregnancy, pregnant women without immunity should be careful and protect themselves because it can cause some damage to the baby. There is no vaccine. If a new infection is detected during pregnancy, antibiotic treatment should be given.

How is Toxoplasma Transmitted?

Toxoplasma is transmitted to the body through consumption of infected raw meat, salami, sausage contaminated with microorganisms called toxoplasma gondii, a parasite, and through contact with feces of cats carrying this parasite.

Effects on the Baby

Especially if toxoplasma infection is experienced in the early stages of pregnancy, it can cause blindness, deafness, and mental retardation in the fetus. Sometimes it can also cause miscarriage and premature birth.

In the first weeks of pregnancy, the probability of toxoplasma passing to the baby is lower, but if it does pass, the degree of damage is greater. In the later months of pregnancy, the transmission of toxoplasma from mother to baby is easier, but the degree of damage to the baby is less.

If this infection is passed before pregnancy, there is no harm to the baby.

Cats and Toxoplasma

House cats that eat infected birds and animals, raw meat, get this infection and show no symptoms. These parasites are resistant to household cleaning products. They can survive in cat feces for 1 year.

Screening Tests

During the first three months of pregnancy, tests called Toxoplasma IgM and IgG are examined. IgM indicates an active, current infection, while IgG indicates a previous infection.

To Protect Against Toxoplasmosis

If you have a cat:

Keep your house cats outdoors during pregnancy

Never feed your house cats raw or undercooked meat

Wear gloves when cleaning the litter box and wash your hands thoroughly afterward, or have someone else take on this task

The cat litter should be cleaned daily

General precautions:

Wear gloves when gardening or working with soil and wash your hands thoroughly afterward

Wash uncooked vegetables and fruits thoroughly

Do not consume raw products like salami, sausage, pastrami

Do not consume unpasteurized milk and dairy products

Wash hands immediately if they come in contact with raw meat

Conclusion

The most common cause of people getting toxoplasmosis is not from cats, but from eating raw or undercooked meat. Taking good precautions to avoid getting this disease during pregnancy is the best approach.

*This article is for general informational purposes. Please consult a healthcare professional for personal health decisions.*