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When the pregnant cat
owner first encounters this word while leafing through a book about
mothers-to-be, she feels a stab in the pit of her stomach. Reading on only
increases her feelings of dread: "A pregnant woman can get it from a
cat... She can pass it on to her developing baby... It can cause birth
defects." While there is a reason for concern, there's no need to
panic, say veterinarians and gynecologists.
"Doctors used to say the woman
should get rid of the cat, but that's totally unnecessary," says Dr.
Michael Davidson, associate professor of companion animal and special
species medicine at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary
Medicine. The only way a woman can get toxoplasmosis from a cat is through
direct contact with its feces, which most people try to avoid anyway! A
few simple precautions are all that's needed to prevent exposure to this
parasite during pregnancy.
Some 80 percent of domestic cats are
exposed to toxoplasmosis during their lives, usually as a result of eating
a mouse, mole, squirrel or other infected prey. Some cats show no
symptoms; others get diarrhea or become listless. Occasionally, pneumonia
or eye inflammation occurs. Indoor cats in rodent-free homes may never be
exposed.
As many as 60 percent of humans also
become exposed, usually after handling cat feces either in a litter box or
garden, says Dr. Davidson. Chances are, most cat owners who have lived
with felines for any length of time have already been exposed to
toxoplasmosis. Like cats, people generally show no symptoms or appear to
have only a mild "flu." Although a person shows no symptoms, he
or she still produces an antibody, thus building up immunity.
"If you have been exposed to
toxoplasmosis and produced an antibody, you're pretty well
protected," says Dr. John Botti, director of maternal-fetal medicine
at Penn State University College of Medicine. If a woman is exposed to the
parasite for the first time during pregnancy, though, the effects that it
will have on her and the baby depend on how far along she is in the
pregnancy. During the first three months, it is unlikely that a woman will
pass the parasite on to her developing fetus. If toxoplasmosis is
transmitted to the baby during this time, however, the chances are
greatest that the baby will develop a major health problem. Conversely, a
woman in her third trimester of pregnancy is most likely to pass on
toxoplasmosis to her baby, but the parasite is least likely to cause
serious birth defects.
Statistics show that of the 4 million
babies born in the United States each year, only 1,200 suffer any effects
from toxoplasmosis. Most of these babies have only mild problems, such as
a rash or an eye infection. Nonetheless, the parasite can cause grave
damage to a growing fetus. In rare instances, babies have developed
hydrocephalus (a condition in which the brain swells), mental retardation
and anemia.
To eliminate the risk of exposure to
toxoplasmosis, pregnant cat owners should avoid handling the litter box by
having someone else perform the task, or simply wear gloves when cleaning
it, and washing hands thoroughly afterwards. This also applies to
gardening, especially if outdoor cats frequent the area. "Just use
common sense," Dr. Davidson advises. As an added precaution, he
recommends that the litter box be changed daily because, once the organism
is shed, it takes at least 24 hours for it to become transmissible to
humans. Interestingly, cats can only shed the organism in their feces one
time during their lives - just after they have been exposed for the first
time. And, Dr. Davidson says, "It's unlikely they'll shed it during a
woman's pregnancy."
A simple blood test can determine if a
person has ever been exposed to toxoplasmosis. Unfortunately, it cannot
specify when exposure occurred, so it's a good idea for a woman to be
tested before becoming pregnant. If she has been exposed she will know for
sure it was prior to her pregnancy.
Toxoplasmosis should be taken seriously,
but it's no reason for pregnant women to get rid or even avoid their cats.
During pregnancy, a woman has days when she feels apprehensive about the
future or stressed about her weight gain or fearful of the impending
delivery. The perfect remedy - and one that is completely safe - may be to
curl up on the sofa with a feline friend.
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