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Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by a parasite calledToxoplasma gondii.It can be found in cat feces, undercooked meat, and contaminated food and water.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that over 40 million people in the United States may have the parasite.

Of those with the parasite, the people most at risk of serious illness are people with weakened immune systems and babies born to parents with toxoplasmosis.

Keep reading to learn more about toxoplasmosis, how it’s diagnosed and treated, and the steps you can take to avoid getting this parasitic infection.

Most people who’ve contractedT. gondiishow no signs or symptoms. When symptoms are present, they may last for a month or more and usually resolve on their own.

Toxoplasmosis symptoms are often flu-like and may include:

对于严重削弱免疫系统的人来说，弓形虫病是特别严重的，可能导致涉及眼睛，脑，肺或其他器官的并发症。

People who are at risk of serious infection include:

  • people withHIV
  • 正在服用的人chemotherapyto treat cancer
  • organ transplant recipients

Pregnant people with toxoplasmosis can also pass it on to the fetus. This is called congenital toxoplasmosis and can have serious consequences likemiscarriageor死胎。“Congenital“ refers to conditions acquired in the womb or that exist in a child from birth.

Children born withcongenital toxoplasmosiscan also develop other health problems later in life.

Toxoplasmosis in babies

大约75％ of newborns born with toxoplasmosis don’t have any noticeable symptoms at birth. In some cases, congenital toxoplasmosis can be detected alongside irregularities in a baby’s brain and eyes.

However, sometimes toxoplasmosis can be life threatening for the baby soon after birth.

这些罕见案例的迹象和症状包括：

Toxoplasmosis in children

有时婴儿先天性弓形体病n’t noticeably ill at birth but develop signs and symptoms as they get older.

其中一些潜在症状包括：

The name of the parasite that causes toxoplasmosis isT. gondii。It’s a tiny, single-celled organism.

Aside from congenital toxoplasmosis, which is passed from a pregnant parent to their baby, most people become infected when they ingest theT. gondiiparasite. This can happen in several different ways.

Cat feces

In the United States,T. gondiican be found in cat feces. Although the parasite can be in nearly all warm-blooded animals, cats are the only known hosts. This means that the parasite only reproduces in cats. A cat with toxoplasmosis can shed millions of eggs in its feces for 1 to 3 weeks 感染后。

It’s possible to contractT. gondiiwhen you’re exposed to contaminated cat feces. This could happen if you clean out a cat litter box without washing your hands afterward.

If you’re pregnant, you should ask someone else to take care of any cat litter chores. If you absolutely must clean out the litter box yourself, use gloves and empty waste from the box daily. The parasite isn’t infectious until 1 to 5 days 在它的棚子之后。

Overall, it’s very rare for humans to get toxoplasmosis from cats. House cats that aren’t allowed outside have a very low chance of carryingT. gondii。生活在外和狩猎的野生猫或猫更有可能成为寄生虫。猫通常不会显示弓形虫病的症状。

Undercooked meat

You can get toxoplasmosis from raw or undercooked meat and shellfish.

This includes:

  • 猪肉
  • lamb
  • 鹿肉
  • oysters, mussels, or clams

Make sure all meat and shellfish are cooked to asafe internal temperaturebefore eating.

Handwashing也很重要。通过处理原始或潜水的肉类或贝类，然后触摸嘴巴而不先洗手，可以获得弓形虫。

Contaminated food and water

除了出现在一些肉类和贝类中，T. gondii也可以污染食物或水。然后寄生虫可以移动到吃或喝污染物质的人类。

Because the parasite can exist in feces, it can also be found on some unwashed produce that has been contaminated with animal feces or manure. Washing your fruits and vegetables can help prevent toxoplasmosis.

如果使用与生肉，贝类或生产接触的器具或烹饪表面，可能会发生污染。为防止交叉污染，重要的是在用途之间彻底清洗这些物品。

Maintaining适当的厨房卫生可以帮助保持您的表面（和您）免受有害细菌和寄生虫的安全。

A doctor will typically perform ablood test那called a toxoplasma test, to check for antibodies toT. gondii。If you’ve ever been exposed toT. gondii那antibodiesto the parasite will be present in your blood. If your antibody test is positive, then you’ve had toxoplasmosis at some point in your life.

However, a positive result doesn’t necessarily mean that you currently have an active infection. If your test comes back positive for antibodies, your doctor might do further testing.

活性感染的测试可以涉及寻找称为IgM和IgG的特定类型的抗体，感染后几周和月份在血液中达到高水平。

Here’s how it works:

  • IgM antibodies will be present earlier in a toxoplasmosis infection (possibly active). IgMs can usually be seen about a week after infection and will continue to rise and then fall.
  • Repeat testing is usually done 2 weeks after the first result to confirm the presence of IgM antibodies.
  • IgG antibodies appear a couple of weeks or so after a toxoplasmosis infection. These antibodies will likely be present for life.

A molecular test can also be used to detect DNA fromT. gondiiin a sample of blood or another bodily fluid. While abiopsycan allow a doctor to see the parasite in a tissue sample, this is done less frequently.

If you’re pregnant and have an active infection, your doctor will test your amniotic fluid and the fetus’ blood to see if toxoplasmosis has been transmitted to the fetus. Anultrasoundcan also help determine whether the fetus has signs of toxoplasmosis.

Toxoplasmosis can lead to serious complications for pregnant people and their babies, as well as for people with weakened immune systems, such as those living with HIV.

Complications for pregnant people

The reason that pregnant people need to take special precautions to avoid toxoplasmosis is that it can be very serious for a fetus to contract toxoplasmosis in the uterus. Toxoplasmosis can lead to a miscarriage, stillbirth, or premature delivery.

When a baby is born with toxoplasmosis, it can have lasting consequences on the body, particularly the eyes and brain. In general, babies who get toxoplasmosis early in a pregnancy have more severe health issues than those who get it later in a pregnancy.

Complications for people with HIV

People with a weakened immune system, especially people with HIV, can experience more serious complications during a toxoplasmosis infection.

These complications can include:

  • cerebral toxoplasmosis (toxoplasmic encephalitis), which is when toxoplasmosis affects the brain, causing:
    • headaches
    • seizures
    • vision changes
    • trouble with movement
    • problems with thinking and memory
    • confusion
  • pneumonitis那when toxoplasmosis impacts the lungs, leading to fever,cough那andshortness of breath
  • 眼睑肌瘤病，眼睛感染导致blurry vision那eye pain那andlight sensitivity

In rare cases when toxoplasmosis affects the brain, for people with HIV this infection can be an 艾滋病定义疾病 。

Other areas of the body can also be affected 通过弓形虫病，如：

  • heart
  • liver
  • pancreas
  • 上校on
  • testes

If you’re in good overall health and are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms, you may not need treatment for toxoplasmosis. This is because the infection resolves on its own in most healthy people.

However, if toxoplasmosis is severe or occurs in a person with a weakened immune system, treatment is required. In rare cases, hospitalization is necessary.

您的医生通常会规定的药物是：

  • Pyrimethamine(Daraprim) is an antiparasitic. It is also used to treatmalaria。
  • Sulfadiazineis anantibiotic。It targets bacteria that cause infections.

Treatment for toxoplasmosis with medication often lasts 2到4周 。

Pyrimethamine decreases your levels of folic acid (vitamin B9). Because of this, your doctor may also ask you to takefolinic acid(leucovorin) to help preventfolic acid deficiencywhile in treatment for toxoplasmosis.

If you have a weakened immune system, you’ll likely need to continue your treatment for at least an additional 4 to 6 weeks after symptoms disappear. In some situations, treatment can continue for 6 months or more.

In people with HIV, treatment continues until levels ofCD4细胞艾滋病毒的免疫细胞的影响,改善和viral loadis suppressed byantiretroviral therapy。This is because it’s possible for toxoplasmosis to reactivate when CD4 counts are low.

Treatment during pregnancy

怀孕期间的治疗有些不同。您的治疗过程将取决于感染的严重程度以及胎儿是否已收缩。

如果胎儿没有毒素，你将根据您怀孕的距离进行规定的药物，以减少传输到宝宝的可能性。

  • Spiramycin那an antibiotic and antiparasitic, is usually recommended if the infection is detected prior to 18 weeks 。
  • After this, a combination ofpyrimethamine那sulfadiazine那andfolinic acidis generally used.

Your doctor will talk with you about the best course of treatment for your particular case and may refer you to a specialist.

治疗先天性毒素病

Newborns with signs or symptoms of toxoplasmosis are typically treated with a combination of pyrimethamine, sulfadiazine, and folinic acid for 12 months 。

However, both pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine can have significant side effects like liver toxicity and suppression of the bone marrow that helps produce blood cells. Because of this, these infants will need to have regular monitoring of their血统andliver function。

Some babies born to a parent with toxoplasmosis have no symptoms of congenital toxoplasmosis at birth. As they grow, these children will need regular assessments for signs of vision problems, hearing loss, or developmental delays.

Most people recover from toxoplasmosis in days to weeks. Your doctor may not prescribe any treatments if your symptoms are mild and you are otherwise in good overall health.

获得弓形虫病的孕人需要与医生一起拿出一个适合他们的治疗计划。当感染在怀孕早期传播到胎儿时，先天性毒素病的效果通常更差。

Prenatal treatment of toxoplasmosis can help reduce the risk of transmitting the parasite to the fetus. If transmission has already occurred, treatment can lower the baby’s risk of health complications at birth or later in life.

Nevertheless, babies born with toxoplasmosis may receive treatments for up to a year. They may also still develop long-term health problems.

具有严重弱化免疫系统的人可能需要住院治疗弓形虫病，以防止并发症。当弓形虫病于早期诊断和治疗时，这些个体在这些个体中得到改善。

Knowing the risks of contamination and practicing proper hygiene can help prevent this infection.

Key tips for prevention include:

  • 洗手frequently, especially:
    • after scooping cat litter or cleaning the cat litter box
    • before, during, and after handling or preparing food
    • before eating
    • 在潜在污染的土壤工作或园艺后
  • Make sure all meat or shellfish is properly cooked to safe internal temperatures before eating it.
  • Don’t drink未经处理的或“生”水。
  • 清洗所有新鲜农产品before you eat it.
  • 清洁所有器具和烹饪表面that are used for raw meat, shellfish, or unwashed produce.
  • 保持猫在室内，以帮助防止它们感染T. gondii。

孕人应该计划在怀孕期间让别人清洁猫砂盒。如果你必须自己清洁它，每天这样做，请务必戴上手套，然后彻底洗手。

弓形虫病是一种寄生虫感染，导致流感样症状。它可以通过吃生或未煮熟的肉类或贝类，消耗污染的食物和水，或通过与猫粪便接触来蔓延。

大多数获得弓形虫病的人都没有症状或症状非常轻微。然而，弓形虫病可能对孕妇，胎儿和新生儿的潜在严重并发症，以及免疫系统弱化的人。

You can take simple steps to lower your risk of acquiring toxoplasmosis. These include frequent handwashing, cooking meats and shellfish to safe internal temperatures, and avoiding cleaning or scooping the cat litter box if you’re pregnant.

If you believe you or a loved one has symptoms of this infection, reach out to a doctor.