Mary Allen
Many domestic cats harbor the parasite Toxoplasma gondii. The animals themselves rarely get sick but can transmit the pathogen to humans. Particular caution is required during pregnancy, but the cat may stay.
The globally distributed and microscopically small pathogen Toxoplasma gondii can remain in the ground for years and nest in several intermediate hosts such as sheep, pigs, and birds, where it forms cysts in the muscles, among other things. In order to complete its life cycle, however, the parasite must find a cat. It can only reproduce sexually in their intestines. The pathogen gets into its definitive host when a cat eats mice, birds, or other meat with Toxoplasma cysts. For about two weeks, affected cats excrete parasite eggs with the feces, so-called oocysts, which become infectious after two to four days under the right environmental conditions. The parasite usually does not cause any problems for cats. Only rarely do they react with diarrhea and other clinical symptoms.
Their owners usually don’t have to worry either. It is theoretically possible to get infected while cleaning the litter box. At least if you come into direct contact with a few days old cat poo and don’t wash your hands thoroughly afterward. But most people do not even notice the infectious disease and are then immune to the pathogen. According to the Federal Office of Public Health, around a third of women of childbearing age in this country have antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii, meaning they have already been infected. Milder symptoms such as headaches and body aches or a slight fever rarely occur. For some years, however, some scientists have suspected that the pathogen could trigger behavioral problems and schizophrenia – this suspicion has not been proven.
What is certain, however, is that toxoplasmosis can become dangerous when the immune system is already severely weakened. Then it can trigger meningitis, for example. In addition, if a woman is first infected during pregnancy, there is a risk that, depending on the age of the fetus, the baby may be miscarried or born with permanent defects. Medications help to a certain extent against the parasite, but cannot prevent transmission from mother to child.
Harness the Father-to-Be
Sometimes pregnant women who do not have antibodies can even separate from their cats. Luckily this is not necessary at all. «You can protect yourself well against toxoplasmosis and thus avoid the grief caused by forced separation from your beloved cat. Giving away a cat because of pregnancy and fear of toxoplasmosis is inappropriate,” said Kate Atema, pet program director at the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). The Federal Office of Public Health advises not to put the cat box in the kitchen, to wear rubber gloves when cleaning, and to wash your hands afterward. Alternatively, you can of course simply delegate the task to the father-to-be. Since the parasite can also enter the environment via cat feces, the same precautions should be taken when gardening or processing fresh vegetables.
However, raw meat and offal pose a much greater risk of infection than the cat’s excrement. Hands and kitchen utensils should therefore always be cleaned thoroughly after preparing meat. Pregnant women should also remove raw or undercooked meat, such as tartare or rare steak, from their diet.