Accidentally swallowing the parasite by coming in contact with infected cat feces, such as while cleaning cats' litter box, touching things that have been exposed to cat feces containing toxoplasma and not washing hands after.
Mother-to-child transmission.
Eating undercooked, contaminated meat.
Drinking water contaminated with toxoplasma gondii.
What are the signs and symptoms of toxoplasmosis?
Most people infected with toxoplasma show no symptoms at all.
Some people, especially vulnerable populations, show flu-like symptoms, fever, swollen lymph glands, or muscle aches, lasting for a month or even more.
Severe toxoplasmosis can cause damage to brain, eyes and other organs.
Infants infected while still in the womb may not show symptoms at birth, but may develop symptoms later in life.
What can we do to prevent toxoplasmosis?
We should follow certain guidelines to reduce risk of toxoplasmosis.
Use a food thermometer to make sure meat is cooked to a safe temperature to kill harmful pathogens like toxoplasma.
Do not sample meat until cooked.
Freezing meat for many days at subzero temperatures before cooking greatly reduces chance of infection.
Wash cutting boards, hands, knifes and counter tops with soapy water after contact with raw meat.
Peel or wash fruits and vegetables.
Avoid drinking untreated water.
Wear gloves and wash hands with soapy water after gardening. Soil may be contaminated with cat feces containing toxoplasma.
Keep outdoor sandboxes covered.
Do not feed cat raw or uncooked meat. Feed only canned, dried commercial food or well-cooked table food.
Ensure that litter box is cleaned or changed daily.
If you are pregnant or immuno-compromised, avoid cleaning cat litter and do not adopt or handle stray cats. Pregnant women should take the most precautions to avoid toxoplasmosis infection.
Toxoplasma
There are many other zoonotic diseases wherein infections get transferred from animals to humans. With proper hygiene, food safety and safe food handling practices, we can, to a great extent, prevent the infection of these diseases.
Cats are considered the definitive host for Toxoplasma gondii. Infection is very common; however, most cats that become infected will not show clinical disease. Occasionally young kittens or adult cats that are immunosuppressed will show symptoms including fever, loss of appetite or respiratory problems. When illness does develop, the kitten/cat should be tested for illness, such as Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV).
Cats often become infected from ingesting meat from other infected animals, such as mice, or ingesting feces from an infected cat. When the cat eats the prey animal (mouse), the organism (the parasite) from the raw meat of the mouse