I don’t know when it started, pregnancy and raising cats and dogs became things that cannot be achieved at the same time. I often hear "Don't keep cats and dogs when you are pregnant, be careful of Toxoplasma infection." So can families with pregnancy plans or who are already pregnant to keep cats? The root of the problem
The most widely said about not being able to raise a cat during pregnancy is that you are worried that raising a cat during pregnancy will cause pregnant women to become infected with toxoplasmosis, which will lead to fetal malformations, developmental disorders, miscarriages in pregnant women, etc. So what is the answer to the question? First we need to understand what Toxoplasma gondii is and how humans are infected with this parasite.
What is Toxoplasma gondii
Toxoplasma gondii is an animal of the family Toxoplasma gondii, also known as Toxoplasma gondii, which can invade the human central nervous system and cause miscarriage, stillbirth, brain necrosis, hydrocephalus and mental disorders. Children who survive through infection often experience low intellectual development and epilepsy due to congenital brain damage, while people with complete immune function generally have no obvious clinical response after infection.
Infection route
According to statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO), the proportion of Toxoplasma infections in humans around the world is about 25% to 50%, which means that there are more than 2 billion Toxoplasma infections around the world, while the domestic data is 5% to 20%. The proportion of infections is so high without causing large-scale health problems. What is the infection route of Toxoplasma gondii?
Simply put, "the disease comes from the mouth". The cat is infected with Toxoplasma gondii by eating prey with parasites. The feces of the host cat are contagious within about 20 days. At the same time, various uncooked meats, infected water sources, uncleaned fruits and vegetables are also infectious.
Preventive measures
Since there are so many infection channels, how should we prevent it? In fact, under normal living environment, the chance of infection of domestic pet cats or pregnant women is very low. The conditions for infection include but are not limited to:
Eat undercooked meat and meat products;
Drink uncooked dairy products and tap water;
Eat raw seafood and river food;
Eat uncleaned fruits and vegetables;
Not cleaning pet excrement in time and directly contacting excrement, and eating without cleaning and disinfection.
Generally speaking, if the cats at home have not eaten raw meat, have relatively clean living environments, only consume cat food, canned cats, etc., the probability of infection with Toxoplasma gondii is minimal. As long as you clean the cat litter in time, eat cooked food and boiled water, you can eliminate the infection pathway. I believe that in pregnant families, you pay great attention to the living environment and healthy diet of pregnant women, not to mention that pregnant women are infected through pet excretion~