Toxoplasmosis: everything you need to know

toxoplasmosis

You've probably heard about toxoplasmosis more than once But you may not know what it is exactly or what are the ailments that can cause you. It is better to be well informed to know exactly what it is about.

There are healthy people who can contract toxoplasmosis and not even know they have had it, since its symptoms can be mistaken for a common cold. Instead, if a pregnant woman contracts toxoplasmosis it can be very dangerous for her baby Developing.

What is toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by a parasite. This parasite is called Toxoplasma gondii. This bacteria can be found in cat feces and undercooked meat, especially beef, pork, or lamb. It can also be transmitted through contaminated water, by a blood transfusion or the implantation of an organ from an infected person, or by drinking infected goat's milk. Toxoplasmosis can be fatal or cause serious birth defects for the fetus if the pregnant mother becomes infected.

This is why doctors recommend that a pregnant woman not clean the cat litter (although doing it carefully and washing her hands well right after doing it, there should be no problem). Likewise, it is also important for a pregnant woman to cook food well before consuming it.

washing vegetables to avoid toxoplasmosis

What are the symptoms

Most people who have toxoplasmosis do not have any symptoms. They do not even realize that they are experiencing this condition. People who are most at risk for serious infections are those with low immune systems and children born to mothers with active infection during pregnancy.

But while most people have no symptoms of toxoplasmosis, there may be some symptoms to watch out for (although they seem more like a common cold). Some of these symptoms are:

  • Fever
  • Swollen lymph nodes, especially in the neck
  • Headache
  • Muscle pains
  • Sore throat

These symptoms can last a month or more and usually go away on their own, meaning they heal on their own. Toxoplasmosis is especially serious for people with weakened immune systems. For these people, they are at risk of developing:

  • Inflammation of the brain, causing headaches, seizures, confusion, and coma
  • A lung infection that causes a cough, fever, and shortness of breath
  • An eye infection, causing blurred vision and eye pain

When a fetus is infected, symptoms can be mild or quite severe. Toxoplasmosis in an unborn baby can endanger the baby's life shortly after birth. Most newborns with congenital toxoplasmosis may appear normal at birth, but they may develop signs and symptoms as the weeks go by. It is very important to check your brain and eye development.


How to know if I have toxoplasmosis

To know whether or not you have toxoplasmosis, it is important to take into account the symptoms that you may suffer. If you think you have the symptoms of toxoplasmosis you will only have to go to your doctor so that you do a blood test and find out if you are really infected.

If you are a pregnant woman and you think you may be infected, then you should see your doctor immediately to know if you are really infected and to be able to take the pertinent measures.

Toxoplasmosis cats

Problems in pregnancy

Toxoplasmosis can be serious if a woman becomes infected while pregnant or within a few weeks before conceiving. This is because there is a chance that the infection will be passed to your baby and there are serious problems. However, the risk of getting toxoplasmosis during pregnancy is really low. A woman usually does not have any symptoms if she becomes infected during pregnancy, but if the infection spreads to her baby, it can cause:

  • Spontaneous abortion
  • Birth of a still child
  • Congenital toxoplasmosis (the baby develops toxoplasmosis while developing in the womb). Congenital toxoplasmosis can cause serious problems that are noticeable at birth or develop several months or years later, such as brain damage, hearing loss, and vision problems.

Problems in people with weak immune systems

Toxoplasmosis can cause serious and life-threatening problems for someone with a weakened immune system, as their body may not be able to fight the infection. You can have a weak immune system if:

  • You have a disease that affects your immune system such as HIV, AIDS, or cancer.
  • You are receiving chemotherapy
  • You are taking immunosuppressive medications (for example, after an organ transplant)

If your immune system is weak, the infection could spread to organs like the eyes, the heart, the lungs and the brain. This can cause problems such as headaches, confusion, poor coordination, seizures, shortness of breath, and vision problems.

Forbidden foods to avoid toxoplasmosis

toxoplasmosis in ham

The most common way to get toxoplasmosis is through contact with contaminated cat feces or directly with infected animals or people. But you can also get toxoplasmosis through food, so you must take special care with your diet. Some foods like undercooked or raw meats may be infected by this parasite. Likewise, raw (goat) milk, raw eggs or some vegetables that are not well washed and that have been infected by also contaminated animals, can be potentially dangerous.

If you want to avoid toxoplasmosis contamination through food, then you should clean and cook all food thoroughly before eating it. since the parasite only dies when the temperature reaches 72ºC. In addition, it is also necessary that the food is frozen below -20ºC for several days before eating it, since it cannot survive such low temperatures either.

Likewise, you can also avoid consuming some foods that may be prohibited in your diet or during pregnancy: raw or uncooked sausages such as Serrano ham or chorizo. Fruits and vegetables (any of them) that are not well washed well, raw milk or eggs, unpasteurized dairy, etc.


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