Toxoplasma is one of the most insidious parasites. Once in the human body, it may not cause any symptoms. The disease is practically not dangerous for people with good immune defenses. However, there are groups of people to whom this parasite can bring a lot of suffering. Ways of infection with human toxoplasmosis can be different. This is what will be discussed later. From the article you will learn how to get infected with toxoplasmosis and what needs to be done to prevent the disease.
Symptoms of pathology and its form
Before you find out the main ways of infection with toxoplasmosis, you need to get acquainted with its clinical manifestations. So, there is an acute and chronic form of the disease.
In the first case, a person notes an increase in body temperature (often up to 41 degrees). Also, the patient develops a clouding of consciousness, convulsions, vomiting and diarrhea. In the diagnosis, an increase in the abdominal organs (liver, spleen, and so on) can be detected. Lymph nodes also increase in size. Often the chronic form of the disease leads to various complications.
In the chronic course of the disease, the patient suffers toxoplasmosis and in some cases does not even suspect it. Most often, the disease has symptoms of a common cold: runny nose, headache, slight fever and chills.
You can also divide the pathways of infection with toxoplasmosis into acquired and congenital. In the first case, the parasite meets a living person and affects its body. This route of infection is considered safe. With a congenital form, in most cases complications arise. So, toxoplasmosis causes blindness, damage to the nervous system, hearing problems and so on. Often, with the congenital form of acquiring the disease, the baby dies.
How can you get infected with toxoplasmosis?
To answer this question, you need to know a little about who is the main carrier and distributor of the parasite. The owner of this microorganism can be only one - this is a cat family. So, in the body of an infected animal, the parasite lives and multiplies. Extraneous creatures can acquire a microorganism in several ways. However, they do not become a source of the disease. Consider all the ways how you can get infected with toxoplasmosis.
During contact with a cat
How can a cat get toxoplasmosis? Very simple! If you stroke a sick animal, and then do not clean your hands with a disinfectant, that is, there is a high probability of infection.
In a cat with toxoplasmosis, parasite larvae are actively secreted. By and large, they come out with feces. However, a large number of larvae can also be found on animal hair. This is explained quite simply. Every day a cat licks its hair. At this time, the parasite from her tongue enters the hairline of the body. At the same time, toxoplasma can be there for quite a long time.
If you want to avoid infection, then it is worth observing personal hygiene and not touching extraneous (especially personal) cats.
From the cat's toilet
Ways of infection with toxoplasmosis from cats can be not only through tactile contact. If a sick animal went to the toilet, and you have to clean the tray, then you may be infected. It is worth noting that the feces of an infected cat contain a huge number of toxoplasma larvae. They are completely invisible to the human eye. There is also one feature. Toxoplasma larvae can strike a person only when the cat's waste products are in the open air for more than two hours.
If you want to avoid this method of transmission of the disease, then it is worth cleaning the toilet of the animal as often as possible. It is recommended to use various aggressive disinfectants. Do not forget to wash your hands after this procedure.
Contamination through sand and soil
How can you get infected with toxoplasmosis yet? If you have your own garden, then there is a chance of getting the disease while working there. In this case, the parasite is in the ground. It enters the soil similarly to the method described above: through cat feces. If there are wounds or cuts on your body, then the microorganism can penetrate through them and quickly end up in the blood. Also, unwashed hands after working with the soil can become a source of infection. If you touch your face or mucous membranes with dirty hands, you can also get toxoplasmosis.
How can I get infected through the sand? Many young mothers, playing with their babies in the sandbox, do not even suspect that this is where the toxoplasma lies in wait. The parasite enters the playgrounds with the same popular method. Cats defecate by burying their waste in the sand. It is there that the feces dry out and the microorganisms spill. Children do not suspect that hygiene rules must be followed . They drag everything they see around their mouths. So, toxoplasma can enter the child's body through dirty hands or toys. Also, the parasite affects the circulatory system if there are scratches or open wounds on the baby's body.
In order not to pick up the disease, you need to wash your hands thoroughly after walking with the child and contact with the soil. Also do not forget to handle all the toys and tools. This will allow you to avoid not only infection with toxoplasmosis, but also other diseases.
Infection through plants, fruits and vegetables
As you already know, toxoplasmosis can live in the soil and on the surface of sand. How can you get the disease through the fruits of trees and shrubs? Everything is very simple. If the vegetable or berry had contact with the ground, then they probably have larvae of the microorganism. Also, many farmers like to fertilize their crops. In most cases, waste products are used to prepare products that improve plant growth. That is how the parasite gets on healthy soil.
If after harvesting you do not thoroughly clean the fruits, then there is the possibility of infection. It is worth noting that banal washing with warm water is not enough. Use cleaning agents or pour boiling water over the product.
Microorganism Acquisition through Animal Products
How can a dog get toxoplasmosis? Most likely, nothing. The only exceptions are those cases when the animal is eaten.
So, very often a person acquires a microorganism after poor preparation of a particular food. Any meat that has undergone insufficient heat treatment can be a source of illness. Also, if you touch the product, and after that did not wash your hands, there is a chance of infection. This is most often the case in food markets when a person chooses the meat of an animal, bird or egg. Some foodies prefer to eat steak with blood. In this case, no one gives you a guarantee that the parasite will not enter your body.
You can get the disease through the eggs of birds. So, if an animal is infected, then it releases toxoplasma in its products. Eggs of any bird must undergo thorough heat treatment. Otherwise, there is a high probability of getting not only toxoplasmosis, but also salmonellosis. During the preparation and subsequent use of soft-boiled eggs, fried eggs or “nogogol-nogol” drink, there is a chance to get sick.
Toxoplasma can enter the human body through milk and derived products. If the drink is not boiled beforehand, then there is a chance that bacteria live there. Do not be scared and run to process milk from your refrigerator. If you are buying a shop pasteurized or ultra-pasteurized product, then you have nothing to fear.
Acquisition of a parasite through the blood
How can a person be infected with toxoplasmosis? There is a high probability of getting a microorganism through the blood. In the case when the donor is in the active stage of the disease, his recipient will receive toxoplasma during the transfusion of the material. That is why all people donating blood for charity are carefully examined before manipulation.
It is worth noting that infection with this method occurs very rarely. However, theoretically it has a right to exist.
Intrauterine infection
How can a person be infected with toxoplasmosis? There is one more way. The parasite can be acquired by the fetus during fetal development. It is worth noting that this method of infection is one of the most dangerous. Moreover, the shorter the gestation period, the greater the likelihood of consequences.
If the expectant mother suffered toxoplasmosis in the first trimester, then in 70% of cases the fetus will be infected. Many doctors recommend terminating the pregnancy in this case, since there is a chance of having a baby with defects.
When the parasite entered the body of a pregnant woman in the second trimester, the fetus is already more protected from its influence. Moreover, the likelihood of complications is about 40%.
The disease transferred in the third trimester is practically not dangerous for the unborn child. However, exceptions are those cases when the infection occurred a few days before birth. With this outcome, the child may become infected during passage through the birth canal of the mother.
How can animals get infected?
So, you have become aware of the ways of infection with human toxoplasmosis. And how can animals acquire pathology?
In this case, all the described methods of infection apply. A cat can become infected from a mouse with toxoplasmosis if it is eaten. Also, some dogs eat feces. In this case, the acquisition of a microorganism is inevitable. Through raw meat, soil, or an infected animal, your pet can become ill.
Features of infection
Can I get infected with toxoplasmosis? Of course not. However, people with reduced immunity can be treated for a long time and unsuccessfully for this disease. A person with HIV can try to get rid of a parasite all his life. At the same time, he does not become infected again, but fights with the originally acquired microorganism.
Those same people who suffered toxoplasmosis, for life gain immunity to the parasite. In this case, it does not matter how the disease was obtained.
Conclusion
If you still do not know if you have had toxoplasmosis, then take an analysis. The lab technician will take blood from your vein and examine it for antibodies. If these elements are present in your body, then you previously suffered a disease and you are no longer afraid of it. To conduct such a study is very important, especially for expectant mothers.
If a negative analysis result is obtained, then you should be wary of acquiring a parasite and carefully observe preventive measures. Health to you and good test results!