- Disease caused by a parasite or bug found in undercooked meat and in the feces (stool) of cats
Signs and Symptoms
- Generally, people with toxoplasmosis have no symptoms.
- In cases where symptoms appear, they can include: fever, sore throat, swollen glands, muscle pain and a general sick feeling.
Spread
- Eating undercooked or raw meat
- Poor hand washing after touching kitty litter, working in the garden or playing in outdoor sand boxes.
- Toxoplasmosis can be passed from a pregnant mother to her baby
Treatment
- Most healthy people recover without treatment
- For those who are very ill, a combination of drugs can be given
Prevention
- Wear gloves when cleaning kitty litter or when working in the garden. Wash hands afterwards.
- Wash all surfaces that have touched raw meat.
- Use a mix of nine parts water to one part household bleach to disinfect around the kitty litter box. Use 2 ml bleach in a liter of water for surfaces that touch food.
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