Vancouver Feline Hospital..........phone: 604-738-5100..........email us.......... find us - map................fax: 604-738-5170

Toxoplasmosis
How are humans and our pets at risk?

1. Uncooked meat - when we handle it, eat it and feed it to our pets (this has got to be the biggest reason veterinarians do NOT recommend raw diets!) Meat gets infected from exposure of the food animal, rat & mice faeces, contaminated soils, flies.
2. Cat faeces - garden soil - stray cats, farm cats - and anything can spread the oocysts around, which remain infective for up to 18 months.
3. Owning a cat is NOT a health risk. Evidence is strongly against the theory that owning cats or contact with cats is a health risk because:

1. • Unsporulated oocysts (the form shed in cat faeces) are not infective. Oocysts become infective (sporulate) after 2-3 days at 24'C - so you are not at risk if you are scooping daily!
   • Passing oocysts is confined to a narrow range of cats - kittens 6-12 months old when they start hunting (not an issue with indoor cats)
   • Sick or immunocompromised cats do not start passing oocysts again.

How do we prevent contamination and exposure?

1. Cook all meat - heating to 60°C will kill, freezing at -12°C for 3 days - household freezers cannot do this. Smoking will NOT kill this parasite.
2. Most indoor cats have not been exposed unless from diet - ask your veterinarian if you can do a "toxoplasmosis titre" - a simple inexpensive blood test - on your kitty
3. And you can request your doctor to run a similar blood test for yourself! This is the best way to know for sure if you have been exposed.
4. Wash your hands properly before and after handling ANY food - contamination can be from the raw meat, but the soil on vegetables can also contain the parasite oocysts.
5. Teach your children basic hygiene.
6. Wear gloves gardening, scooping or cleaning kitty litter.

Caution! Don't blame your kitty unnecessarily! If you have been exposed, it could have been from any point in your life when you ate or handled raw food. Most people are infected as adolescents.

Toxoplasma gondii forms tissue cysts in nearly every bird and mammal, so is very common. It has always been a concern for pregnant woman, but veterinarians do see the effects of the parasite in all species - cats can get pancreatitis, young puppies can get a variety of problems (and dogs love raw meat and cat poop!) and major veterinary importance is on pig and sheep farms affecting meat production.

Advice for pregnant women, immunocompromised individuals:

Transmission to your unborn baby can occur if you are seronegative and get infected during pregnancy. If you have a positive IgG titre before pregnancy, you are unlikely to transmit the organism to your baby. If you are seronegative before conception, request retesting at 20-22 weeks and then again near term. Whatever your toxoplasmosis titre result, we advise everyone follow these simple precautions:

1. Test your cat(s) for toxoplasmosis titres.
2. Keep your cat(s) indoors. Scoop litter as it happens, at least DAILY. Ask someone else to scoop, and always wear gloves if you have to scoop and clean litter boxes. Disinfect litter boxes and scoop in near boiling water. Wash your hands and under your fingernails afterwards.
3. Wash your hands and under your fingernails before and after handling any food.
4. Avoid touching your face when preparing food.
5. Smoking is a great way to transmit parasites from your hands to your mouth - don't smoke!
6. Do not eat raw meat - avoid pork, mutton and lamb especially. Cook properly to 66°C and avoid underdone meat.
7. Do not eat unwashed fruit and vegetables.
8. Wear gloves gardening and always wash your hands and under your fingernails immediately afterwards.
9. Any soil can transmit this parasite, depending on the area you live. Basic hygiene will prevent this. Wash working surfaces with near boiling water. Prevent access to flies and cockroaches to your meat, fruit, vegetables.
10. Support control of stray cat populations by spay and neuter programs.