What Is Toxoplasma?

What Is Toxoplasma?

Toxoplasma, that is, gondii is a single-celled microorganism. It generally occurs in cats and can also infect some farm animals. Although Toxoplasma reproduces in animals, it is a type of disease that can also infect humans. 

Toxoplasma is not transmitted from animals to humans by direct contact, but it can be transmitted through animal feces, objects contaminated with feces, or by eating undercooked meat from infected farm animals. 

Pregnant women in particular should stay away from cat feces and avoid eating undercooked or raw meat until after birth. Toxoplasma (gondii) is a disease that can cause a risk of miscarriage in pregnant women or serious health problems in babies. 

Toxoplasma can also cause retinal infection in the eye and can seriously damage the optic nerve or the visual center. If left untreated, the patient may lose vision. 

 

Causes of Toxoplasma

One of the ways toxoplasma is transmitted to humans is cat feces. It is very important to avoid contact with cat feces that contain the toxoplasma parasite.  

If you accidentally touch your mouth after contact with infected cat feces, you may swallow the parasites. Cats that hunt or eat raw meat products are much more likely to harbor toxoplasma than other domestic cats.

Besides cat feces, lamb, pork and venison can also be infected with toxoplasma. Sometimes unpasteurized dairy products can contain the parasite in the same way. 

Knives, cutting boards or containers that have touched raw meat, in short all kitchen utensils, should be washed thoroughly with hot, soapy water. Toxoplasma can also be found on the surface of fruits and vegetables. Therefore, all fruits and vegetables should not be eaten without washing.

In general, the immune system of people without health problems keeps the parasites under control. In people with a strong immune system, some parasites remain dormant in the body and provide lifelong immunity.  Thus, you are not infected again with the parasite you have become immune to. However, if the immune system is weakened by disease or certain medications, the infection can reactivate and lead to serious health problems.

Risk Factors

Toxoplasmosis can be seen all over the world. Therefore, anyone can be infected with this disease. Toxoplasma infection can cause serious health problems. This disease affects people with weakened immune systems more and constitutes a risk factor in the following situations.

If You Have HIV / AIDS or Are Undergoing Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy affects your immune system and makes it harder for your body to fight even small infections.

Steroids or other immunosuppressive medications. Medications used to treat some non-malignant conditions suppress your immune system and increase the likelihood of developing toxoplasma complications.

 

Symptoms of Toxoplasma

Toxoplasmosis (gondii) disease causes no signs or symptoms in some people, and patients are unaware that they are infected. The general symptoms of toxoplasma can resemble those of the flu. These are;

1. Body aches
2. Swollen lymph nodes
3. Headache
4. Fever
5. Fatigue

In people with weakened immune systems, symptoms can be more severe. Toxoplasma infection can show more severe symptoms especially in HIV / AIDS patients, chemotherapy patients and patients who have recently had an organ transplant. These are;

1. Headache
2. Clouding of consciousness
3. Blurred vision
4. Confusion
5. Loss of body control
6. Seizures
7. Lung problems resembling tuberculosis or Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia seen in people with AIDS
8. Blurred vision caused by severe inflammation of your retina (ocular toxoplasmosis) or loss of vision

In Babies

If expectant mothers contract toxoplasma (gondii) infection shortly before or during pregnancy, they can pass the infection to the baby (congenital toxoplasmosis) even if they have no signs or symptoms. Exposure to toxoplasma infection during or before pregnancy can cause serious health problems in the baby after birth. 

Expectant mothers carrying a toxoplasma infection may experience miscarriage, premature birth or loss of the baby after birth. Babies who have acquired toxoplasma from the mother may show symptoms such as the following. These are;

1. Seizures
2. Enlargement of the liver and spleen
3. Jaundice
4. Eye infections

Many babies with toxoplasma (gondii) infection show symptoms of the disease after birth. Babies infected with toxoplasma mostly have symptoms such as hearing loss, intellectual disability or serious eye infections.

To protect against toxoplasma, you should not clean animal feces without gloves and should not eat the meat of farm animals raw. Still, if you have a condition that lowers your immunity, if you carry HIV, if you are pregnant or are thinking of becoming pregnant, and you think you may have been exposed to toxoplasma infection, it is recommended that you see a doctor as soon as possible and get tested. 

 

Diagnostic Methods

If you suspect you carry this disease, you can ask your doctor for a toxoplasma screening test among the general tests before becoming pregnant. Because the symptoms of toxoplasma are generally flu-like, the disease is difficult to diagnose. 

During pregnancy, your doctor may request a blood test if they suspect a risk of infection. In blood tests that check for antibodies against the parasite, the antibodies called IgG and toxoplasma IgM are looked for. IgM can remain positive for years; on its own it does not mean a new infection and must be confirmed with an additional test such as IgG avidity.

If you are pregnant and have a toxoplasmosis infection, the next step is to determine whether the baby is infected. To find out whether the baby is infected, your doctor may request amniocentesis. Amniocentesis is performed after the 18th week of pregnancy and at least 4 weeks after the estimated date of infection.  

Amniocentesis fluid uses a thin needle to take a small amount of fluid from the fluid-filled sac surrounding the fetus (amniotic sac). Tests are then performed on the fluid taken to check for toxoplasma.

 

Treatment of Toxoplasma

Most people with a strong immune system do not need treatment for toxoplasmosis and recover on their own. If toxoplasma treatment is needed, a response to treatment can be obtained in a short time with medications or antibiotics recommended by the physician. 

If a toxoplasma infection is found during pregnancy, antibiotic treatment recommended by the physician is started. With the antibiotic treatment recommended to the expectant mother, the risk of toxoplasma transmission to the baby can be reduced by around 60%.