What Is Toxoplasmosis, And Can Your Baby Be Affected?

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As I may have mentioned before, I am the slave owner of five cats. I tend to be the one who does most of the 'work' for them-feeding, litter, etc. Once upon a time, I thought that I might be pregnant. When I was in the process of cleaning the litter box, I saw a warning on the side of the litter pail saying that pregnant women should not handle used litter because of a risk of 'toxoplasmosis'. Honestly, I'd never even heard of this before, but the warning said that it could cause my (turned out, nonexistent) baby to have birth defects and brain damage! That alarmed me, and it would probably alarm you too. I did some research about toxoplasmosis and thought I would share it with my fellow cat lovers out there...well, and, everyone else too.

Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii. It's usually not harmful in people with healthy immune systems and, even if it were, it doesn't always exhibit symptoms. Any symptoms it does show (swollen lymph nodes, fever, fatigue) are usually also seen in other illnesses, so you probably won't know you have it. It might not bother you but it can, however, cause problems for your unborn baby. In fact, it can cause stillbirth and miscarriage. The risk of a fetus getting the illness from an infected mother gets higher as the pregnancy progresses. The earlier a fetus gets it in the pregnancy, however, the more severe the effects will be. Some of them include:

• an unusually large liver or spleen
• jaundice
• swollen lymph nodes
• an unusually large or small head
• seizures
• mental retardation
• fever
• bruising or bleeding under the skin.
• damage to retinas, which leads to vision problems
• hearing loss
• low, limp muscle tone

It can take anywhere between hours to years for the full effects of toxoplasmosis on a child to show. The good news is that, if a mother finds out she has it, it can be treated with antibiotics. The doctor will take a blood sample and, if it comes back positive, treat you with a series of antibiotics to reduce your chances of passing it on to your unborn child. You can also have an amniocentesis done to look for it in your fetus, and ultrasounds to look for abnormalities. If your child does have it, your doctor will probably prescribe antibiotics and treat any other symptoms as they appear.

The possibility of getting this illness doesn't mean you have to give up your precious kitty, however. There are several things you can to to reduce your risk. In addition to not handling used litter, you can:

• Keep your cat indoors at all times, lest she hunt and eat something that has the parasite.
• Either stay away from your children's sandbox or cover it when it isn't in use. Outdoor cats like to use them as litter boxes.
• Stay away from strays, and don't get a new cat during pregnancy.
• Don't feed your cat raw meat. In other words, make sure the hamburger is fully cooked before you 'accidentally-on-purpose' drop it on the floor during cooking. :)

I know I've probably given you a lot of information, but I think it's important for people who have cats to have it in case a pregnant woman or child shows any symptoms. If you want more information, check out http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/parasitic/toxoplasmosis.html#.