Everyday Transmission Routes, Symptoms and Prevention Methods of Toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasma is also called the three corpse worm, San Peng, three corpses, or three corpse god, and it is an intracellular parasite. It can cause a decline in people's immunity and lead to various diseases.So how is toxoplasmosis transmitted in daily life? What symptoms does it have? How can infection be prevented?

How is Toxoplasma transmitted in daily life?

1. People can also infect each other. Most people are Toxoplasma carriers, forming carrier immunity, and after being infected it is difficult for the symptoms of a first infection to appear.

The urine, saliva, tears, and nasal mucus of patients with Toxoplasma disease contain Toxoplasma cysts. The sneezes of patients with acute onset can become a source of droplet infection. In women with toxoplasmosis, Toxoplasma is most active during menstruation, and the menstrual blood discharged by women often contains large numbers of Toxoplasma cysts, making it a not insignificant source of infection that must never be ignored. In addition, the semen of men with toxoplasmosis also carries Toxoplasma cysts, and humans can infect each other through sexual activity.

People eating the meat of infected animals is the main cause of transmission.

2. Infected livestock, poultry, and mechanical carriage by insects, etc.

3. Infection through food:

(1) Foods made from infected animals themselves, for example: fish, meat products, sausages, ham sausages, and canned meat.

(2) Foods produced by infected animals, for example: eggs and milk.

(3) Or by-product foods made from these processed items are also infectious, for example: dairy products, cream products, egg products, cakes, various biscuits, pastries, and frozen treats can sometimes also become sources of infection.

(4) Foods contaminated by infected insects and birds that “can mechanically carry pathogens”, for example vegetables and fruits.

(5) Any food that does not meet hygiene standards may transmit toxoplasmosis.

What symptoms does toxoplasmosis have?

1. Ocular toxoplasmosis is mostly congenital, and cases seen after birth may be caused by reactivation of latent congenital lesions. Clinically there are blurred vision, blind spots, photophobia, pain, tearing, central vision loss, etc., and systemic symptoms are rare. Vision improves after inflammation subsides, but often does not recover completely. There may be vitreous opacities.

2. The clinical manifestations of congenital toxoplasmosis vary. Most infants may be asymptomatic at birth, and some of them develop retinochoroiditis, strabismus, blindness, epilepsy, psychomotor or intellectual retardation, etc. months or years after birth. Those with symptoms at birth may have the following clinical manifestations in different combinations: retinochoroiditis; hydrocephalus or microcephaly or anencephaly, intracranial calcification, with spina bifida, meningocele, cleft lip and palate; adrenal agenesis, bilateral polycystic kidneys; conjoined malformed fetuses, etc.; convulsions, psychomotor impairment; lymph node enlargement, hepatosplenomegaly, fever, jaundice, rash, etc.

3. Most latent infections, when there is malignant tumor, organ transplantation, long-term receipt of immunosuppressants, radiotherapy, cytotoxic agents and other iatrogenic immune impairment, or in people with congenital or acquired immunodeficiency, such as AIDS patients and pregnant women, can shift from a latent infection state to acute severe disease and worsen the original condition. According to a report from the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), among 14,510 AIDS patients, 508 had concurrent Toxoplasma encephalitis, and most died within 2 to 8 months. Other data show that among 81 patients with Toxoplasma, 32 had Hodgkin's disease, 9 had lymphosarcoma, and 15 had leukemia.

How can Toxoplasma infection be prevented?

1. Meat needs to be thoroughly cooked, raw and cooked cutting boards should be separated to avoid secondary contamination. The possibility of infection from eating raw meat is far greater than being infected through cat feces, so pay attention to food hygiene.

2. If cats are kept at home, try to feed them cooked food. Because cats going out to forage increases the possibility of infection, try not to let them go out to forage.

3. Handle cat waste promptly every day, because Toxoplasma oocysts generally need to develop for 2~4 days in an environment with suitable temperature and humidity after being excreted with cat feces before they become infectious. Therefore, promptly removing cat feces every day can reduce the chance of infection, and wash hands carefully after contacting animal waste.

4. During pregnancy, pregnant women should avoid contact with cats and their waste.