 Protozoan parasite  Coccidia  Common 20 – 60% cats 70% humans  Causes toxoplasmosis Tachyzoites dex.html

 Every country!  High in: France Central America  Definitive Host  Intermediate Hosts content/uploads/2008/01/cats-kitten- sink.jpg

 Foodborne  Zoonotic  Congenital  Transmission

 Healthy People  Acute Infections  Subacute Infections  Chronic Infections  Immunocompromised Patients  Pregnant Mothers  Toxoplasmosis

 Biopsy Mice inoculation  Serological testing Antibodies IgG, IgM  PCR of amniotic fluid  CT scan, MRI

Not necessary if healthy Necessary in: – Pregnant women – Immunocompromised – Ocular diseases – Severely ill Medications: – Spiramycin – Pyrimethamine plus Sulfadiazine – Clindamycin – Antimalarial drugs

 Avoid litter boxes and proximity with cats  Avoid undercooked meats  Wash hands  Wash fruits and vegetables  Avoid untreated water  Control rodent/intermediate host populations  Do not allow cats to hunt or roam

     /04-055f1.jpg    CDC. Toxoplasmosis. Division of Parasitic Diseases and the National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne, and Enteric Diseases Accessed Jan  Hokelek, Murat, MD, PhD. Toxoplasmosis. Dept of Clinical Microbiology, Ondokuz Mayis University Medical School, Turkey Accessed Jan  Schmidt, G. and Roberts, L. Foundations of Parasitology, 8 th ed. p McGraw Hill Companies Inc, 2009.