Most of us have heard of the feline disease, which is a disease that affects millions of people around the world, and the majority do not show symptoms of infection, so this disease does not receive much attention, but it may cause severe infections to some people, especially those with weak immunity, as well as its severity. Great on embryos, and this makes highlighting it important.
What is toxoplasmosis?
Also called feline disease, toxoplasmosis, toxoplasmosis, toxoplasmosis, is a disease caused by a parasitic single-celled organism called Toxoplasma, characterized by nervous system injury, enlarged muscles, and lymph nodes Like skeletal muscles, eyes, and cardiomyopathy, it can be fatal or cause serious birth defects for a fetus if the mother contracts it during pregnancy.
Infection occurs as a result of swallowing the parasite, which penetrates the lining of the intestine, begins to multiply in red blood cells, and continues to multiply until it becomes a critical mass, then the cell bursts and begins to infect the neighboring cells, and the disease may begin to appear on the affected organs, at this stage either The immune system in the body is strong and healthy, so the parasite does not harm the body parts, and the parasite continues in the body in the form of vesicles latent in the tissues for several years, but it does not cause any symptoms, or the immune system is weak, and here the parasite can cause health problems, some of them severe.
How does the infection occur?
Cats are the main source of transmission of the parasite, but domestic cats rarely carry the disease, while wild cats or street cats are more susceptible to feline disease, and one cat of these cats carrying the parasite can transfer huge quantities of it, as the Toxoplasma parasite is excreted with saliva, urine or Nasal mucus fluid or with dung, and it is transmitted by nature from cats to the soil, then it is swallowed by humans or birds, birds, mice, and pets in the same place, such as sheep, deer, and pigs.
The parasite enters the human body directly through the mouth or through wounds or wounded membranes, and it can also be transmitted through blood and organs during blood transfusions or organ transplants who have the epidemic.
So, the infection can be transmitted to humans through:
1- Exposure to the droppings of an infected cat.
2- Cleaning the litter box and litter without washing hands afterward.
3- Gardening.
4- Drinking water contaminated with parasites.
5- Eat raw meat or meat that has not been cooked well.
6- Eat fruits or vegetables that have not been washed well or without peeling, or that are planted in soil where the parasite is present.
7- Dealing with cutting boards that were used to cut raw meat.
8- A blood transfusion or organ transplant contaminated with the parasite.
The infection is rarely transmitted from an infected person to another through the patient's droplets, but it is usually transmitted from mother to fetus through the placenta, in which case it is called congenital toxoplasmosis.
What are the symptoms of infection?
About 90% of infected people with a healthy immune system do not show toxoplasmosis symptoms or signs, and in the rare cases where the disease is symptomatic, common symptoms and signs resemble influenza and include:
· Fever.
· Difficulty swallowing.
Swollen lymph glands, especially the cervix.
· a headache.
Muscle pain and fatigue.
These symptoms last for several weeks (a month or more) and then go away on their own, but the parasite remains dormant in the body and can become active again when the immune system is weakened.
As for patients who suffer from a weak immune system, suffer from diseases such as AIDS or cancer, or who are being treated with drugs that suppress the immune system, they are more likely to develop toxoplasmosis in its effective and dangerous form due to recent exposure to the Toxoplasma parasite, or from dormant parasites since a previous infection, and symptoms include Marks:
Encephalitis: what leads to headaches, behavioral changes, difficulties in locating, seizures and convulsions, impaired nervous function, involuntary movements, difficulties with walking, and speaking.
Pneumonia: This leads to cough, shortness of breath, and fever.
Retinitis (ocular toxoplasmosis): leads to blurry vision and eye pain.
As for pregnant women, there is a risk to the fetus.
What is the risk of toxoplasmosis on pregnancy?
If infection with toxoplasmosis occurred months before conception (at least six to nine months before conception) then the body will develop immunity to the disease, so the infection will not be active during pregnancy, and there will be no risk to the fetus.
But if infection with toxoplasmosis occurred for the first time immediately before pregnancy or during pregnancy, it is possible to transmit the infection to the fetus, despite the absence of symptoms on the mother, and here we distinguish between two cases:
If infection occurs during the first trimester of pregnancy, the risk of transmission of the disease to the fetus is minimal, but most cases of infection end in fetal death and miscarriage, and the fetus that resists and remains are often born with serious health problems such as:
Epilepsy.
Enlarged liver and spleen.
Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes).
Serious eye infections.
But if the infection occurred in the last trimester of pregnancy, then the risk of transmission to the fetus is high. However, many children who are born with this infection do not show symptoms of infection until adolescence and adulthood, and these symptoms include:
· hearing loss.
Impaired mental ability.
Serious eye infections.
