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Understanding Toxoplasmosis Symptoms & Risks

Toxoplasmosis is caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii. It typically does not cause symptoms in healthy adults but can cause flu-like symptoms. Rarely, it may cause eye or brain problems. Infection during pregnancy poses risks to the child. People become infected mainly by eating undercooked meat containing cysts or exposure to infected cat feces. While treatment is usually not needed for healthy individuals, pregnant women may receive treatment to prevent congenital infection. Toxoplasmosis infects up to half the world's population with many infections causing no symptoms.

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7 views1 page

Understanding Toxoplasmosis Symptoms & Risks

Toxoplasmosis is caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii. It typically does not cause symptoms in healthy adults but can cause flu-like symptoms. Rarely, it may cause eye or brain problems. Infection during pregnancy poses risks to the child. People become infected mainly by eating undercooked meat containing cysts or exposure to infected cat feces. While treatment is usually not needed for healthy individuals, pregnant women may receive treatment to prevent congenital infection. Toxoplasmosis infects up to half the world's population with many infections causing no symptoms.

Uploaded by

mia tsaniyah
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© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii.

[1] Infections with


toxoplasmosis usually cause no symptoms in adult humans.[2] Occasionally there may be a few
weeks or months of mild flu-like illness such as muscle aches and tender lymph nodes.[3] In a
small number of people, eye problems may develop. In those with a weak immune system,
severe symptoms such as seizures and poor coordination may occur. If infected
during pregnancy, a condition known as congenital toxoplasmosis may affect the child. [3]

Toxoplasmosis is usually spread by eating poorly cooked food that contains cysts, exposure to
infected cat feces, and from a mother to a child during pregnancy if the mother becomes
infected. Rarely the disease may be spread by blood transfusion. It is not otherwise spread
between people.[1] The parasite is only known to reproduce sexually in the cat family. However, it
can infect most types of warm-blooded animals, including humans.[4] Diagnosis is typically by
testing blood for antibodies or by testing amniotic fluid for the parasite's DNA.[5]

Prevention is by properly preparing and cooking food. It is also recommended that pregnant
women not clean cat litter boxes.[6] Treatment of otherwise healthy people is usually not needed.
During pregnancy spiramycin orpyrimethamine/sulfadiazine and folinic acid may be used for
treatment.[7]

Up to half of the world's population is infected by toxoplasmosis but have no symptoms.[8] In the
United States about 23% are affected[9] and in some areas of the world this is up to 95%.[1] About
200,000 cases of congenital toxoplasmosis occur a year.[10] Charles Nicolle and Louis
Manceaux first described the organism in 1908. In 1941 transmission during pregnancy from a
mother to a child was confirmed.[11]

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