Toxoplasmosis is a contagious disease caused bythe simplest parasite of toxoplasm. The final owner of her, in which she dwells in the intestines, is a cat, and many kinds of animals can become intermediate. Our fluffy tailed pets become infected by eating the meat of animals infected with this parasite (mice, farm animals).
Can I get infected from a cat? Yes, you can. A person is included in the list of intermediate hosts of toxoplasm. How is toxoplasmosis transmitted from cats? The animal identifies the infectious form of the parasite withfeces; swallowing it, a person will get sick with toxoplasmosis. The path of infection is called fecal-oral. Usually this happens when the rules of personal hygiene are not respected. Do not forget that you can get toxoplasmosis when eating poorly cooked meat, unwashed fruits and vegetables.
When the animal is infected, the incubation period lasts from 7 days to 2 months. The pet appears quite nonspecific signs:
Also, a digestive disorder (diarrhea, vomiting)manifested toxoplasmosis. Symptoms in a cat can be mild or absent at all (with a latent form of the disease). Nervous system with the development of seizures, paralysis in these pets is very rarely affected. Considering that in case of illness there may also be signs similar to those in viral pathology of the respiratory tract: coughing, sneezing and minor discharge from the nose, shortness of breath, it is not easy to diagnose "toxoplasmosis". Symptoms in a cat, which can be suspected of a disease, are considered, now you can discuss other methods of diagnosis. They will depend on the period of the illness.
How to check a cat for toxoplasmosis? What tests are required and when are they conducted? The animal secretes infectious parasite forms with feces- oocysts. This occurs within just two to three weeks from the moment the pathogen enters the body. Oocysts can be detected by making fecal microscopy or by placing a biological sample on laboratory mice. Usually this time falls on the incubation period, and it is difficult at all to suspect toxoplasmosis. Symptoms in a cat, Considered above, pass, when the disease passes into a chronic stage. At this time, the pathogen is carried by blood through internal organs and remains in them. During this period, you will be able to identify the disease:
If oocytes are found in faeces of an animal (infectiousforms of the parasite), then it represents a danger to man. For all people, it does not carry a big threat, except for women carrying women. At them infection during pregnancy is fraught with occurrence of complications: abortions, deformities of a fruit. Contact with a cat that secretes oocysts should be excluded. Also, attention should be paid to the prevention of other routes of infection.
A pet with the presence of oocysts in the feces is necessarydeliver to a vet clinic and treat. If an animal has antibodies to toxoplasm, then this is not a reason for panic. Provided that the cat has no clinical signs and does not secrete the oocyst, it is absolutely safe for humans.
