By Martha A. Simpson, D.O., M.B.A.
Associate Professor of Family Medicine
Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine

EXPECTANT MOTHER CAN KEEP HER CAT, BUT NEEDS TO TAKE PRECAUTIONS

Question: I have a cat, and I am thinking about getting pregnant. My friend says that I should get rid of the cat before I get pregnant because the cat can give me an illness called “toxo.” Is she right? What exactly is “toxo” and what does it have to do with cats? Can I keep my cat?

Answer: Your friend is partially correct. There is an illness call toxoplasmosis that can be spread through the feces of infected cats. Toxoplasma gondii is the parasite that causes “toxo.” In a healthy person, there are very few symptoms since your immune system can keep the parasite from causing illness. Indeed, eighty percent of the time, the body fights off toxoplasmosis without you even knowing you had it. In the other cases, you may have minor symptoms such as swollen lymph glands and an overall feeling of malaise.

Toxo can be more dangerous for pregnant women, as your friend suggested. This is because toxo can have serious health consequences for their unborn children. Still, this is fairly rare. In less than one out of 200 pregnancies does the mother get toxo, and only about 40 percent of these cases result in the baby becoming infected.

In about half of the cases where the baby is infected, however, the consequences can be quite severe. It may be stillborn or suffer neurological damage, such as seizures, retardation, or fluid on the brain. There's also a risk of fever, rashes, and an enlarged spleen or liver. On the other hand, many unborn babies who become infected especially in the later stages of pregnancy -- show no symptoms at all.

A cat can become infected with the toxoplasmosis parasite by eating wild prey such as birds and rodents or eating raw or undercooked meat that is infected with the parasite. The parasite is shed in the feces of the cat for a few weeks following the infection. Usually your cat will have no symptoms and the infection will go away in a few weeks on its own.

A human usually gets this infection by ingesting or inhaling minute amounts of cat feces. As horrible as that sounds, it can happen relatively easily. By touching your mouth or your nose after emptying the cat box or even after working in the garden, you can get this parasite into your system. Also, a cat that walks around on kitchen or food surfaces after finishing in the cat box, can leave the parasites on those surfaces as a little gift for us humans. Raw or undercooked meats such as pork, lamb or venison can also spread this disease, as can using utensils that are contaminated, or drinking contaminated water.

Good sanitation and food handling can greatly reduce the likelihood of contracting toxo. Always wash your cutting boards and utensils with hot soapy water after working with raw meat. Wash your hands thoroughly as well. Wear gloves when gardening to decrease exposure to cat feces in the soil. And as for the cat, keep your cat indoors and feed it only cat food, not food scraps. Avoid adopting a cat at this time whose outdoor history you don’t know. Have someone else empty the cat box and make sure it is emptied daily, as it takes a day or so for the parasite to become infective after it has been passed.

Family Medicine® is a weekly column. To submit questions, write to Martha A. Simpson, D.O., M.B.A., Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, P.O. Box 110, Athens, Ohio 45701, or via e-mail to readerquestions@familymedicinenews.org. Medical information in this column is provided as an educational service only. It does not replace the judgment of your personal physician, who should be relied on to diagnose and recommend treatment for any medical conditions. Past columns are available online at www.familymedicinenews.org.