How to kill Toxoplasma gondii? What are the ways of transmission? What if a pregnant woman is infected?

People who are ready to get pregnant know how terrible it is to be infected with Toxoplasma gondii, because dogs and cats are both hosts of Toxoplasma gondii, so how to kill Toxoplasma gondii? What are the ways of transmission? What if a pregnant woman is infected?

What exactly is Toxoplasma gondii?

Toxoplasma gondii, also called Toxoplasma gondii, is an intracellular parasite. Parasitic in the cells, with the blood flow, reach all parts of the body, damage the brain, heart, fundus, resulting in the decline of human immunity, suffering from various diseases. It is an idiopathic intracellular parasite, coccidia subclass, Eococciformes, isospore coccidiaceae, Toxoplasma gondii. In a sense, it is almost the most successful single-celled animal on earth. However, compared with its more famous relative, the malaria parasite, this bug enters the human field of vision very recently. In 1908, two French scholars discovered it in the body of a comb-toed rat in North Africa.

How does Toxoplasma gondii cause infection?

Cats are the only ultimate host of Toxoplasma gondii. In other words, Toxoplasma gondii only produces eggs in cats.

Cats may be infected after eating infected game or raw meat.

After 3-10 days of infection, the eggs began to be excreted through the stool and lasted for about 10-14 days. Eggs become contagious after 1-5 days in the environment. Generally speaking, cats have already passed the period of ovulation when they develop symptoms.

Other animals (including dogs) and humans are intermediate hosts and can be infected by eating contagious eggs, but they do not produce eggs in the body after infection. So dogs are not the route of transmission of Toxoplasma gondii unless infected raw dog meat is processed or eaten.

In the United States, 22.5% of people over the age of 12 have been infected with Toxoplasma gondii. Globally, 95% of people in some areas have been infected with Toxoplasma gondii. Most people have no symptoms or only flu-like symptoms.

How can people be infected with Toxoplasma gondii?

Pregnant women or people with a weak immune system are more likely to be infected.

Because cats produce eggs for only a few days, they are less likely to infect people.

Indoor cats have little chance of infection if they do not have access to infected soil and raw meat.

The chance of infection by stroking cats is also extremely small.

More infections are caused by eating infected raw meat, unwashed fruits and vegetables or unpasteurized dairy products.

What are the symptoms of infection with Toxoplasma gondii?

According to different studies, the infection rate of Toxoplasma gondii in China is at a low level in the world, about 5% and 20%. Even so, the "toxoplasmosis patients" around us are still a large group. At the same time, we don't seem to feel it. This is because Toxoplasma gondii infection rarely has serious consequences, and for people with good immune function, the first exposure to Toxoplasma gondii can cause at most mild flu-like symptoms, such as fatigue, muscle soreness, low fever or enlarged lymph nodes, which will disappear soon. Pregnant women are usually asymptomatic when they are infected. Infected pregnant women have a 1 / 3-1 / 2 chance of infecting the fetus. Most infected babies are born asymptomatic, but may later develop visual, hearing or intellectual impairment.

How to kill Toxoplasma gondii

If infected pregnant women are treated in time, the incidence of congenital Toxoplasma gondii infection can be reduced from 60% to 23%; if left untreated, about 50% can infect the fetus through the placenta.

At present, spiramycin is generally used in drug treatment, which belongs to macrolides with low toxicity and safe use in pregnant women. Gastrointestinal reactions such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea may occur in large doses. Please follow the doctor's advice and do not misuse it yourself.

Timely and appropriate treatment can control or cure toxoplasmosis. The traditional anti-Toxoplasma gondii drugs are sulfadiazine and pyrimidine, which can also be treated with spiramycin, chlorlincomycin, azithromycin and so on. The treatment of toxoplasmosis must be carried out under the guidance of experienced doctors to determine the appropriate drug compatibility, dose and course of treatment, and to prevent the occurrence of drug side effects.

How to avoid toxoplasma gondii?

The CDC of the US Centers for Disease Control points out that there is no need for pregnant women to avoid cats. Here are some suggestions:

For pregnant people:

Don't eat raw meat.

Do not eat dairy products that have not been pasteurized.

Don't eat unwashed fruits and vegetables.

Do not drink water from the environment unless it is boiled.

After handling the raw meat, wash your hands with soap and clean the table.

Wear gloves when you come into contact with flowers, trees, and soil.

Wash your hands before eating.

For cats:

Do not feed raw meat or unpasteurized milk to cats.

It is best to keep cats completely indoors and avoid contact with infected soil, animals and raw meat.

Shovel cat litter every day and often wash the cat litter basin with boiling water. (because it takes 1-5 days for eggs in stool to become contagious.)

Pregnant women avoid cleaning cat litter, which is a man's job.

Avoid wild cats and don't raise new cats when you are pregnant.

Control the number of intermediate hosts, such as mice.