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When a pregnant woman is diagnosed with acute toxoplasmosis, amniocentesis can be used to determine whether the fetus has been infected or not. When a pregnant woman develops acute toxoplasmosis, the tachyzoites have approximately a 30% chance of entering the placental tissue, and from there entering and infecting the fetus. As gestational age ...
Dividing T. gondii parasites. Toxoplasma gondii (/ ˈ t ɒ k s ə ˌ p l æ z m ə ˈ ɡ ɒ n d i. aɪ,-iː /) is a species of parasitic alveolate that causes toxoplasmosis. [3] Found worldwide, T. gondii is capable of infecting virtually all warm-blooded animals, [4]: 1 but felids are the only known definitive hosts in which the parasite may undergo sexual reproduction.
Another important protozoan disease associated with cats is Toxoplasma gondii, for which cats act as the definitive reservoir. Infected cats shed oocysts in their faeces, which upon ingestion can infect an individual. Pregnant women are especially at risk as it is associated with miscarriage, hydrocephalus of the newborn, or other symptoms. [21]
Feline disease refers to infections or illnesses that affect cats. They may cause symptoms, sickness or the death of the animal. Some diseases are symptomatic in one cat but asymptomatic in others. Feline diseases are often opportunistic and tend to be more serious in cats that already have concurrent sicknesses.
Congenital toxoplasmosis may lead to hydrocephalus, seizures, lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, rash, and fever. However, retinochoroiditis is the most common manifestation, occurring in 3/4 of cases. In congenital toxoplasmosis, the disease is bilateral in 65–85% of cases and involves the macula in 58%.
For many infections, the baby is more at risk at particular stages of pregnancy. Problems related to perinatal infection are not always directly noticeable. [citation needed] Apart from infecting the fetus, transplacental pathogens may cause placentitis (inflammation of the placenta) and/or chorioamnionitis (inflammation of the fetal membranes).
Cats may also pose a danger to pregnant women and immunosuppressed individuals, since their feces, in rare cases, can transmit toxoplasmosis. [25] A large percentage of cats are infected with this parasite, with infection rates ranging from around 40 to 60% in both domestic and stray cats worldwide.
The primary transmission route is the litter box that is shared by both infected and uninfected cats, where a well-timed use by two cats can transfer the parasite from the feces of one cat to the paws of another where they later become ingested during the act of grooming. In cats, Tritrichomonas foetus is able to live several days in wet stool ...