Copyright ⓒ 2014 John Sangwon Lee, MD., FAAP
Pregnancy and toxoplasmosis 임신과 톡소플라스모시스증
Toxoplasma protozoa in cat feces can infect pregnant women and fetuses
Pets such as cats, and wild animals such as pigs, sheep, cattle, and rats can carry Toxoplasma protozoa.
Toxoplasma protozoa may be contaminated in the feces of animals such as cats and sheep carrying toxoplasma protozoa.
If pregnant women come into contact with the feces of these animals, they can become infected with Toxoplasma protozoa.
Even if a pregnant woman is infected with Toxoplasma protozoa, toxoplasmosis may not necessarily occur.
After a pregnant woman is infected with the protozoa, the pregnant woman has no symptoms, and then the fetus can be infected with the protozoa.
Especially, if the fetus is infected in the early stages of pregnancy, it can be more severe.
In severe cases, the eyes, brain, and other parts of the body are infected with Toxoplasma protozoa, and severe congenital malformations can occur in the infected organ. Toxoplasma protozoa can parasitize in the intestines of cats that have eaten rats infected with Toxoplasma protozoa.
When a pregnant woman touches the feces of a cat with Toxoplasma protozoa and then eats food with the hand without washing the hand, or when cooking, the pregnant woman can become infected with Toxoplasma protozoa. Washing your hands thoroughly is one of the best ways to prevent infectious diseases. When raising cats or livestock, extreme care should be taken to prevent pregnant women from contracting this disease. Dogs usually do not carry Toxoplasma protozoa.
When livestock such as sheep, goats and cattle feed on grass or vegetables contaminated with Toxoplasma protozoa, the livestock can become infected with protozoa.
If vegetables contaminated with protozoa are not washed well and eaten by humans, protozoa can be infected.
Toxoplasma protozoa may be infected in raw milk or live livestock from livestock infected with protozoa. Pregnant women can become infected with this protozoan if they eat raw sheep’s milk, raw milk, or live meat from livestock.
Do not eat raw sheep’s milk or raw milk, or eat raw livestock from livestock. When a pregnant woman has toxoplasmosis, the lymph nodes in the body are swollen, mild fever, skin rashes and fatigue can occur.
It can be diagnosed with a blood test. When diagnosing that the fetus is infected, it can be diagnosed through amniotic fluid tests in the second trimester of pregnancy.
Treated with antibiotics. Copyright ⓒ 2014 John Sangwon Lee, MD., FAAP
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