Common household pets like cats and dogs are known to be among the most common causes of allergy symptoms in the U.S. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America estimated around 30 percent of U.S. adults experience regular allergic reactions to pets, with cats accounting for twice as many cases as dogs. However, living with these pets may introduce or aggravate nonallergic conditions in certain people, an important distinction that is often overlooked.
"Toxoplasmosis may be present in up to half of the world's population."
One particular concern involves a microscopic parasite known as Toxoplasma gondii, which causes the condition toxoplasmosis when it infects humans and other animals. T. gondii is one of the most prolific organisms known to science – up to half of the world's population is thought to be chronically infected with the parasite at any given time. However, in healthy adults, the parasite does not cause any noticeable symptoms.
T. gondii is particularly good at reproducing in cats, allowing it to be transferred to humans through incidental contact. In healthy people, toxoplasmosis may cause a brief period of mild flu-like symptoms that pass in a few days. Afterward, the parasite may lay dormant in the body for the rest of the host's life, going totally unnoticed in most people.
Treating and preventing
Problems from toxoplasmosis might arise in certain populations of people, including pregnant women, babies less than six months old and anyone with a weakened immune system (due to a disease like HIV, or following cancer treatment or an organ transplant, for example).
Pregnant women may face the most prevalent risk to toxoplasmosis, but only in women who had never come in contact with the organism prior to conception. If this is the case, T. gondii may cross the placenta and disrupt fetal development, possibly leading to birth defects or miscarriage.
For this reason, pregnant women can be tested for the parasite and take precautions if it is found they have not already been infected. These precautions would include avoiding changing a cat's litter box until it can be disinfected. Indoor cats that eat only cooked, canned food generally present the lowest risk. Families with infant children or immune-compromised residents should take the same steps.
Cats are not the only vector for toxoplasmosis infection, however. Eating undercooked meat or unwashed produce, drinking unfiltered water and gardening without gloves all increase the risk of infection. Unfortunately, there is still no known cure or vaccine against T. gondii, but researchers are working to develop one.
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