How to avoid Toxoplasma infection during pregnancy?

What is Toxoplasmosis?

Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii.

Parasites are living things that reside in an animal’s intestine and rely on that animal as a food supply.

Humans get this virus by eating food contaminated with animal faeces, or by touching cat faeces with bare hands and without proper hygiene afterwards.

What kind of disease is caused by Toxoplasma?

In people who are previously healthy, most of the infections are asymptomatic or very mild. However, there are two populations of people in whom Toxoplasmosis infections can get complicated: Immunocompromised people and pregnant women.

Why is it dangerous to contract Toxoplasma during pregnancy?

It is dangerous because even if you have no symptoms, this parasite can cross the placenta and infect the fetus. This causes a severe damage mainly to the brain and the eyes of the fetus. However, sometimes this even leads to in-utero death.

How to avoid maternal toxoplasma infection

The following recommendations are true not only for pregnancy, but also for immunocompromised individuals and even for the general public:

• Avoid touching sand with bare hands, this includes gardening, landscaping, and any other potential activities that come into contact with animal faeces (especially cat’s faeces). If there is no available means of protection, make sure to wash your hands thoroughly after.
• If you own a cat – feed your cat with commercial food, and not raw meet.
• If there’s a cat litter box in your home, make sure to change the sand daily while using protective equipment (the parasite is not contagious during the first 1-2 days).
• Avoid eating raw or under-cooked meat (such as stake tartar, carpaccio, ceviche, etc). Just go with well-done meat.
• Wash vegetables and fruits thoroughly.
• Wash your hands religiously, as well as kitchen counter tops after dealing with raw meat, fruit, and vegetables.
• Avoid eating raw seafood.
• Avoid drinking unpasteurized goat milk.
• Avoid drinking water from an unknown source, especially in developing countries.