Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by the Toxoplasma gondii. This parasite is frequently present in cat feces and meat not properly cooked especially lamb, pork and venison. It can also be transmitted if contaminated water was ingested.
It is important to note that toxoplasmosis can be dangerous or even cause significant birth defects for a fetus if the mother is infected. Due to this, doctors strongly advise pregnant women not to scoop or clean litter boxes of cats.
Many individuals with toxoplasmosis do not have any symptoms. Those who are at high risk for serious infections are those who have compromised or weakened immune systems and infants born to mothers with an active infection while pregnant.
Indications
In most cases, toxoplasmosis does not trigger any symptoms.
Those who develop symptoms might suffer from:
- Fever
- Sore throat
- Headache
- Swollen neck lymph nodes
- Muscle pain
These symptoms might last for a month or longer and typically settle on their own. Always bear in mind that toxoplasmosis is considered serious for those who have a weakened immune system. In such cases, an individual is at risk for developing the following:
- Lung infection that results to fever, cough and shortness of breath
- Brain inflammation resulting to seizures, headaches, confusion and coma
- Eye infection that results to eye pain and blurred vision
In case the fetus is infected, the symptoms might range from mild to serious. Remember that if the condition affects an unborn baby, it can be dangerous after birth. In many newborns with the congenital type, they might appear normal at birth but later develop symptoms.
Management of toxoplasmosis
Many healthy individuals who develop an infection do not have any symptoms or only have mild ones that are self-limited.
For severe and persistent cases, especially those that involves the eyes or internal organs, pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine is usually prescribed by the doctor.
If the individual is diagnosed with HIV or AIDS, these medications should be taken for life. Since pyrimethamine lowers the level of folic acid, the doctor might require additional vitamin B while using the drug.