Toxoplasmosis in animals - to be sick or not to be sick? Toscoplasmosis: symptoms, treatment, prevention. Toxoplasmosis in cats: treatment. Symptoms of toxoplasmosis in humans. PCR analysis for toxoplasmosis. The development cycle of Toxoplasma. How Toxoplasma gondii develops

Toxoplasmosis- a poorly studied protozoal disease of farm animals, the causative agent of which is Toxoplasma gondii, belonging to the genus Toxoplasma. The question of the systematic position of Toxoplasma has not been finally resolved. T. gondii has a wide host range and is found in humans, sheep, pigs, dogs, rabbits, hares, various rodents, pigeons, chickens, wood grouse and other bird species.

Toxoplasma is difficult to cultivate on conventional nutrient media, but it reproduces well on developing chicken embryos.

Toxoplasmosis occurs on all continents of the globe, in different climatic zones, among wild and farm animals and even reptiles.

Toxoplasma is poorly resistant. They die when dried, but are preserved for several hours in saline, distilled water, and for 24 hours in sterile skim milk with blood serum. More long time Toxoplasma persists in brain tissue emulsified in Tyrode's solution. Temperatures above 50° have a detrimental effect on them.

The acute form of toxoplasmosis is accompanied by fever, conjunctivitis, myocarditis, hepatitis, encephalitis and pneumonia and usually ends in death. In dogs, the disease picture is similar to plague. In dead animals, ulcers in the intestines and foci of encephalitis are found.
The subacute form is characterized by hemorrhages in the retina, its swelling and necrosis, atrophy optic nerve, hydrocephalus and seizures. In such cases, during autopsy, changes in the brain are found in the area of ​​the ventricles: necrosis of brain tissue and infiltration, vascular thrombosis and regenerative phenomena.

In the chronic form, it is noted from the central side nervous system and the same or other mildly expressed phenomena.

Toxoplasmosis: diagnosis. Toxoplasmosis is often mistaken for other diseases. To detect toxoplasma, cerebrospinal fluid or histological sections of the brain, eyes, heart muscles and other organs are examined. If necessary, they resort to a biological test, infecting white mice.
Serological and allergic methods diagnostics: dye test, complement fixation test, skin test and etc.

Toxoplasmosis: treatment. Not developed. There are instructions about effective action sulfa drugs, as well as pyrimidine derivatives.

Toxoplasmosis: prevention not developed.

Toxoplasma gondii is a species of single-celled protozoan that causes dangerous disease- toxoplasmosis in animals. This infection is widespread. Domestic, agricultural, commercial, wild animals and birds are susceptible to the disease.

All animals can be affected by toxoplasmosis

How does Toxoplasma gondii develop?

A cat can become infected with any of three forms of T. gondii. In her body (in the epithelium small intestine) the larva begins to divide, resulting in the formation of asexual, male and female individuals. After fertilization, oocysts are formed, covered with a two-layer membrane.

The first stage is characterized by the appearance of oocysts in the environment - they were released by a sick cat with feces. When exposed to heat and high humidity, they turn into an infectious form. The duration of such a transformation is directly dependent on favorable conditions. The higher the temperature, the faster ripening occurs. Infective oocysts are very tenacious; they are able to remain viable in the temperature range from +4 to +55 degrees. And once in the water, regardless of its quality, they do not die for several years.

Cysts prefer to be localized in the brain, heart and diaphragm

Contagious oocysts enter the body of the intermediate host and move on to the next stage - tachyzoites, shaped like tangerine slices. This form is capable of super-fast division and reproduction in any cells of the body. But most often they populate the brain and liver. Several tachyzoites penetrate the cell at once, they destroy everything inside and use the membrane to form a cyst.

The body resists such penetration, but if the immune system is weakened, the disease quickly turns into chronic form, and then the next stage of development begins.

Bradyzoites in tissues form a shell around themselves - a cavity, which is gradually filled with jelly-like exudate (liquid secreted by blood vessels during inflammation). This membrane has an uneven, ribbed surface, which makes it easier to attach to organ tissue.

Toxoplasmosis manifests itself depending on which of the three forms they were infected with. If bradyzoites enter their body and have formed cysts in muscle tissue, and the animal ate such meat, then the period when the first symptoms appear ranges from 3 days to one and a half weeks from the moment of invasion. When sporulated oocysts are ingested, this time period increases to 18 days.

How do animals get infected?

Only cats are capable of excreting environment oocysts. In other animals, the body is affected by forms of protozoa that form capsule shells in tissues and organs.

Ways of infection with toxoplasmosis in animals

Animals are infected in several ways:

• eating food and drinking water contaminated with oocysts;
• through meat in which bradyzoites have formed capsules;
• dogs often become infected by eating cat feces, or drinking water from a puddle where there were oocysts and at the same time become dangerous carriers of the disease;
• tachyzoites can reach the fetus if the female animal is sick with toxoplasmosis, as well as penetrate through milk to the baby - in this case, the disease in newborns is very severe and often ends in death;
• V in rare cases possible infection during surgical interventions requiring a blood transfusion from one animal to another.

Of the above methods of infestation by eating raw meat with Toxoplasma cysts being the most common cause.

How does the disease develop?

In animals, toxoplasmosis goes through three stages: acute, subacute and chronic, the change of which can occur very quickly and depends on the massiveness of the invasion.

After hitting gastrointestinal tract Toxoplasma in the form of tachyzoites begin to multiply quickly, since these conditions are ideal for them. With the help of lymphatic fluid, they quickly spread throughout the body, ending up in all fluids and organs. Occupying more and more new cells for settlement, they kill them and cause foci of necrosis in the internal organs, which leads to disruption of their function.

And if the invasion is massive, then the animal may die. With a minor infection, the animal’s immune system fights the invasion and can destroy the tachyzoites.

The body begins to produce antibodies to Toxoplasma, which suppress their development. But no matter how strong the immunity is, it cannot destroy the tachyzoites that have penetrated the nervous system.

In the chronic form, tachyzoites exist only in cysts in the form of bradyzoites, which are more resistant to the host immunity. Chronic period can be several months or tens of years. Cell division occurs in the cyst, and when there are too many of them, the capsule breaks through, and the tachyzoites again rush to all corners of the body.

Signs of infestation

In infected animals, toxoplasmosis can occur either with clear symptoms or latently. This depends on the age of the animal, the presence of other diseases, the severity of the infection, lifestyle and route of transmission of the infection.

Most common symptoms:

• heat;
• lethargy of the animal;
• muscle tremors;
• vomit;
• purulent nasal discharge;
• bowel dysfunction;
• eye disease - most common in cats;
• neuralgia;
• lack of appetite;
• altered movement coordination;
• breathing problems;
• In pregnant women, fetal death is possible.

But the above symptoms are very variable, since toxoplasmosis can affect any organ.

Except external signs with toxoplasmosis there is an increase lymph nodes, inflammation and edema of the lungs, enlarged liver and spleen with foci of dead tissue, possible inflammation of the stomach and small intestine.

Spontaneous abortions in animals and birth deformities are consequences of toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasmosis is one of the causes of spontaneous abortions in animals and deformities of born young animals. This factor is used to make a diagnosis.

Methods for identifying the disease

Toxoplasmosis is determined based on examination, interviewing the animal owner, and the results laboratory tests, conducting ultrasound examinations and radiography of the abdominal organs. The diagnosis is also confirmed if, after taking medicines Pets show positive dynamics. A bioassay is also used, which is installed on susceptible animals. Most often, a suspension of saline and pathological material is injected subcutaneously into mice. If the rodents die within three weeks, parts of their organs are examined under a microscope and the diagnosis is confirmed.

To identify the disease it is necessary to conduct laboratory tests

Toxoplasmosis may be indicated by the presence of hepatitis, nervous disorders, blurred vision, abdominal pain, excessive thinness.

Revealed in the blood increased level eosinophils, decreased white blood cell count, high level bilirubin.

The diagnosis of toxoplasmosis does not use the method of examining feces under a microscope. This is due to the fact that only cats can excrete oocysts in their feces for a short period of time (no more than 2 weeks). In addition, they are so small that they are difficult to recognize by any microscopic method.

It is important to exclude other diseases that have similar symptoms to toxoplasmosis

In addition, a mandatory measure is to exclude other diseases that have similar symptoms to toxoplasmosis. These include: plague, brucellosis, borreliosis (only in birds), leishmaniasis, encephalitis, etc.

How is toxoplasmosis treated?

Bradzoites remain inaccessible to drugs; they become silent in their capsules, thereby self-preserving. In addition, protozoa are producing more and more new strains that are resistant to medicines. Resistance is often caused by previous misuse of the drug.

Veterinarians use the following medications:

• "Clindamycin" in the form of hydrochloride and phosphate;
• "Spiramycin";
• "Daraprim."
• "Pyrimethamine";
• "Toltrazuril."

Many medications are contraindicated for pregnant animals. During this period of the animal’s life, only the use of Spiramycin is permissible. The drug "Pyrimethamine" is toxic and has Negative influence per function bone marrow. To reduce the risk of the medicine, folic acid is prescribed together with it.

In case of massive invasion, when the disease is advanced, a 5% glucose solution is administered intravenously.

Gamavit will help strengthen the animal’s immunity

In addition, in order to maintain and strengthen the animal’s immunity, the following medications are necessarily prescribed.

The economic damage from toxoplasmosis is insignificant, but this invasion has a large social significance, since a sick person has heavy defeat nervous system, the birth of deformed children and other types of pathology.

Pathogen. Toxoplasma gondii(Nicolle, Manceaux, 1909). The final owner T. gondii is a cat and other members of the family Felidae Intermediate hosts can be various mammals, birds and even reptiles.

Cysts form in the host’s body and have their own dense shell. Their sizes are up to 100 microns; inside they contain

Rice. 22. Toxoplasma gondii microscopic structure(scheme)

Oocysts are formations oval shape with a diameter of 10... 12 microns. They form in the lining of the cat's small intestine and are excreted in the feces. The timing of the appearance of oocysts in cat feces depends on the nature of the infection and ranges from 3 to 24 days. Excretion lasts from 7 to 20 days; up to 10 million oocysts can be released per day with feces. Sporulation in excreted feces occurs through

2...3 days (at a temperature of 24 °C); it is not implemented at temperatures below 4 °C and above 37 °C. Oocysts at favorable conditions are saved in external environment up to 1 year or more. They play a major role in the transmission of infection.

The second transmission route, which occurs in nature, is called transplacental. Its essence is the transmission of toxoplasma from mother to fetus. This path is not the main one and for the vast majority of macroorganisms it is implemented once. The exception is some species of rodents, in which transplacental transmission of Toxoplasma is observed repeatedly, as well as from generation to generation (in mice up to the 10th generation).

Toxoplasma oocysts are very stable in the external environment. They survive in wet conditions for more than 9 months, maintain the action of a saturated sodium chloride solution for 1 hour; for 90 minutes - acetone, 5% formaldehyde. 28% ammonia kills oocysts within 10 minutes, iodine tincture - in 30 minutes. At temperatures from 6 to 39 °C, Toxoplasma oocysts remain viable for 334 days, at temperatures between 37, 45, 50 °C - for 34 hours, at 20 °C, sporulated oocysts survive for 28 days. Cysts and pseudocysts in meat are destroyed when heated to 66 °C, and when frozen to minus 20 °C they die after 2...3 hours.

Developmental biology. A cat can become infected by eating oocysts. Then merogony and gametogony occur in her intestinal mucosa, and after 27...29 days oocysts are released with feces. If a cat becomes infected by eating the meat of a sick animal, merogony and gametogony pass quickly and oocysts are released after five days. The period of oocyst release is up to a month or more. In the body of animals, as well as humans, Toxoplasma multiplies in different organs and fabrics. As a result of multiple divisions, cysts are formed (Fig. 23).

Rice. 23. Developmental biology Toxoplasma gondii

The pathogen transmission factor is food and water contaminated with Toxoplasma oocysts. The main route of infection of carnivores is the consumption of raw meat, tissues, organs containing Toxoplasma cysts or pseudocysts, as well as through ingestion of sporulated oocysts, as well as through scarified skin and mucous membranes of animals. Infection is also possible through milk (in kittens). Transplacental transmission has no epidemiological significance.

Pathogenesis. Toxoplasma, having entered the body of a susceptible animal, quickly spreads through the lymphatic and blood vessels into the lymph nodes, parenchymal organs, nervous system, and genitals. Here Toxoplasma multiplies, causing inflammatory processes with subsequent necrosis.

Clinical signs. Toxoplasmosis occurs acutely, subacutely, chronically and asymptomatically.

At acute course a generalized process develops, which manifests itself high temperature up to 42 °C, increased heart rate and respiration, general depression, sometimes aggressiveness is observed in dogs. Often there is muscle tremors, refusal of food and water, and diarrhea. Superficial lymph nodes are enlarged. Paresis of the hind limbs is possible. Pigs sometimes develop hemorrhages on the ears and limbs. By the 10...12th day, the temperature of sheep and pigs can drop to 35...36 °C and death will occur. The listed signs do not appear equally in all animals.

At subacute course these same signs are somewhat less pronounced; death does not always occur. At chronic course Initially, animals experience a short-term increase in body temperature, general depression, emaciation, and then paresis of the limbs.

During any course of the disease, pregnant females may have an abortion, but more often dead or nonviable fetuses are born, and they are also ugly.

In adult cats, toxoplasmosis is asymptomatic, while in young and immunosuppressed animals it can occur. death. In cats, clinical signs appear through

6...9 days. They are characterized by an increase in temperature, poor appetite; the latter may be completely absent. Diarrhea and abdominal pain appear. Eye damage in the form of chronic ulcers that are not amenable to antimicrobial therapy is often noted.

The amount of toxoplasma that has entered the animal’s body is of great importance for the manifestation of severe pathology. Young animals are more susceptible to infection with Toxoplasma. Highly sensitive animals should also include white mice and gophers.

Acute toxoplasmosis in cats is manifested by the development of intestinal pathology. In animals, enteritis is noted, which may be accompanied by symptoms of diarrhea, swelling and infiltration of the cell wall, visualized on x-rays. An increase in the size of the mesenteric lymph nodes (lymphadenitis) is also noted.

However, it must be taken into account that there are no clear clinical signs of toxoplasmosis in animals, therefore, if this disease is suspected, it is necessary to conduct a set of diagnostic studies.

Pathological changes. The corpses of farm animals are emaciated. Rigor mortis is mild. In the acute course, an enlargement of the spleen, liver, and lymph nodes is found; inflammation, edema, and foci of hepatisapia are noted in the lungs. In the chest and abdominal cavities there is a transudate. The heart is flabby. Slim and colon catarrhally inflamed. There are no changes characteristic of toxoplasmosis in the corpses of intermediate hosts.

In subacute and chronic cases, rigor mortis is mild, poor blood clotting, congestion in the scalp, neck, inner surface hips The liver, spleen and lymph nodes are enlarged, hemorrhagic gastroenteritis. The vessels of the brain are injected, hemorrhages under the hard meninges; the brain is softened in some areas.

Affected in cats thin section intestines, where there is hyperemia and hemorrhages on the mucous membrane and disruption of the epithelium of its walls.

In preparations stained according to Romanovsky-Giemsa, toxoplasma has a crescentic or arched shape. One end of their cell is pointed and the other is rounded. The nucleus is stained in various shades of ruby ​​red, and the cytoplasm in blue tones. Dimensions of Toxoplasma are 4...7 x 2...4 microns.

Treatment. No treatment has been developed for farm animals. Small animals are prescribed a chemical coccide at a dose of 0.024 g/kg with food once a day for three days, and then given 0.012 g/kg of body weight, or 0.007% of the feed, for 25 days.

Control measures and prevention. Dogs and cats should not be kept on farms. Manure removal should be timely with periodic disinfection of premises and yards.

Anthropozoonotic protozoal disease.

At a temperature of 4°C in meat and other slaughter products, Toxoplasma survives up to 3-4 weeks, at minus 15-18°C for no more than 3 days, and when cooking meat they die after 20 minutes.

Epizootology. Course and symptoms. Toxoplasma has adapted to living in the bodies of mammals and birds.

Cats (default hosts) become infected by ingesting sporulated oocysts, by eating endozoites and cysts located in the body of intermediate hosts, and in utero.

Intermediate hosts: mammals become infected with oocysts from a cat, endozoites or cystozoites from intermediate hosts when eating meat, from amniotic fluid and other secretions containing toxoplasma, as well as in utero. During the acute course of the disease, Toxoplasma is excreted from the body of the diseased intermediate host with milk, tears, urine, and feces.

Course of the disease: acute, subacute, chronic and asymptomatic.

In acute cases Incubation period: 2-5 days; In patients, the body temperature rises, the pulse quickens, shortness of breath occurs, diarrhea appears, sometimes vomiting, and signs of damage to the nervous system develop: blurred vision, paresis of the limbs. Mucopurulent discharge appears from the nasal openings and eyes. Lymph nodes enlarge, and in some animals body temperature decreases.

In subacute course incubation period: up to 10 days, the symptoms are the same, but appear less clearly.

In the chronic course - short-term fever, a period of nervous system and digestive disorder. Pregnant females have abortions and give birth to malformed fetuses.

Toxoplasmosis in cats. The most severe disease is congenital toxoplasmosis of newborns, which occurs as a result of transplacental transmission from a mother infected during pregnancy. It often causes miscarriage or stillbirth. Surviving kittens develop a generalized infection with inflammatory and necrotic changes in the lungs, liver, and brain. Clinical manifestations include high fever, lethargy, anorexia, shortness of breath, wheezing in the lungs on auscultation, jaundice, ascites, and symptoms of encephalopathy. Antibiotics are often ineffective.

Acquired toxoplasmosis causes respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms(anorexia, lethargy, high fever, shortness of breath, weight loss, jaundice, vomiting, diarrhea, ascites). Often the eye is involved in the process with the development of uveitis (pericorneal vascular injection, hyphema, mydriasis), iritis, iridocyclitis, corneal ulcer, retinal detachment. Signs of damage to the nervous system (blindness, stupor, incoordination, torticollis, anisocoria, convulsions) are observed in less than 10% of cats. Acquired toxoplasmosis can occur in acute, chronic or latent form.

Toxoplasmosis in dogs. In puppies, toxoplasmosis appears as a generalized infection with high fever, weight loss, lethargy, anorexia, tonsillitis, shortness of breath, vomiting and diarrhea. In adult animals, the disease occurs in a local form. Affects mainly the nervous and muscular system. With the development of diffuse inflammation of the brain, convulsions, tremor, ataxia, paresis or muscle paralysis are possible. The eyes are rarely involved in the process. Cardiac involvement rarely manifests itself clinically.

1. Definitive owner (cat)

4. Unsporulated oocyst;

5. Sporulated oocyst.

Pathological and anatomical changes. In the corpse, an enlargement of the lymph nodes, spleen, and liver is noted, in which there may be hemorrhages, as well as swelling and inflammation of the lungs. Sometimes in the head and spinal cord, necrotic areas are found in the lymph nodes.

In subacute and chronic course it is noted poor clotting blood and congestion in the skin.

Diagnostics. At histological examination in the cells of the reticuloendothelial system and in necrotic foci of organs, many toxoplasma are found.

Toxoplasmosis can also be established by serological method in RBC with toxoplasmosis antigen. If necessary, a bioassay is performed on white mice, which die after 5-10 days after infection.

Differential diagnosis. It is necessary to differentiate from brucellosis, vibriosis, listeriosis, leptospirosis, canine distemper and avian borreliosis.

Prevention and treatment. Clindamycin is prescribed (12.5-25 mg/kg 2 times a day) until clinical recovery, and then for at least another 2 weeks. Adverse reactions of the drug are dose-dependent and include anorexia, vomiting and diarrhea. If uveitis develops, a 1% solution of prednisone in drops is added to treatment every 8 hours for 2 weeks.

Treatment may also include a combination of sulfadiazine (30 mg/kg orally every 12 hours) and pyrimethamine (0.5 mg/kg orally every 12 hours) for 2 weeks. From adverse reactions depression, anemia, leukopenia and thrombocytopenia are possible, especially often observed in cats. To correct pancytopenia, medications are prescribed folic acid(5 mg/day) or brewer's yeast.

T. gondii is pathogenic to humans. However, the danger is not from seropositive cats, but from animals that do not have antibodies to Toxoplasma and are thus predisposed to infection and subsequent release of oocysts.

Therapy is not always effective. Probability residual effects cannot be predicted until completion of the full course of therapy. Eye changes Usually it can be completely cured. Congenital toxoplasmosis of newborns and acquired toxoplasmosis against the background of immunodeficiency are distinguished by a severe course and an unfavorable prognosis.

Veterinary and sanitary examination. The carcasses of productive animals are rendered harmless by boiling, and the head and internal organs disposed of.

Many cat owners, having learned that their beloved pet can be a carrier of toxoplasmosis, stop communicating with the animal. There are veterinarians and doctors who add fuel to the fire by talking about toxoplasmosis and exaggerating its danger. Of course, not every owner will start studying encyclopedias, and not everyone will run to get tested. As a result, even those cats that cannot infect their owner end up without the attention of their loved one. To prevent this from happening, the animal owner needs to learn more about the disease itself and methods of its prevention.

Toxoplasmosis in cats

Toxoplasma is a protozoan that causes disease when ingested by a cat.

Veterinarians note that young cats under 1 year of age and older animals over 7 years of age are at greater risk of developing toxoplasmosis than pets aged 1 to 6 years. This is due to the cat's immunity. Before a year, a cat is still considered a kitten, and after 7 years it is already an elderly pet, so at this age the animal is simply more vulnerable. Therefore, another risk group consists of weak, sick or malnourished cats.

Even a clean person can get toxoplasmosis well-groomed cat if she eats raw unprocessed meat

Is the disease dangerous for humans?

This is a disease of dirty hands. I'm guessing you were just washing your hands after petting the cat.

slb.michael, forum user

http://www.komarovskiy.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=18776

Toxoplasmosis is dangerous for pregnant women

Unknowing people, having heard at least once about the danger of toxoplasmosis, advise pregnant women to get rid of the cat, since the baby will be born with “deformities.” This is also not entirely correct. The fact is that a person can have immunity if he has already had toxoplasmosis. It is possible to find out whether a person was once infected, but for this you need to get tested. If it turns out that the woman has immunity, then there is no need to be afraid of the sore, even if the cat has obvious signs of the disease.

And in cases where a woman has never been infected with these protozoa, then she needs to be careful. Moreover, it is recommended not only to limit contact with the cat, because infection can occur when cutting meat, and when eating unwashed vegetables and fruits, and even when working in the garden. The risk group includes people who eat low-cooked meat, stroganina, etc. In addition, the infection can enter the human body through organ transplantation or blood transfusion. There is also a transmissible method of infection - through the bite of a blood-sucking insect.

A cat's owner can become infected with toxoplasmosis without the cat's participation.

A person infected with toxoplasmosis may be so ill that there are no symptoms - this is a latent form of the disease. Such cases occur in people with strong immunity. Such people may also have a chronic form of the disease. With this form there are practically no symptoms, but sometimes exacerbations occur. At the same time, the temperature rises slightly, weakness, irritability and nervousness appear. Memory or sleep may deteriorate, and there may be severe headaches. Lymph nodes enlarge, joints hurt and ache, appetite disappears. Sometimes abdominal pain or disturbances in sexual function are noted. Less commonly, a symptom such as blurred vision appears. In general, we can say that the symptoms of toxoplasmosis resemble those of the flu.

The acute form of the disease is much more dangerous. There may be hyperthermia, swollen lymph nodes and joint pain. In addition, there may be conjunctivitis, signs of pneumonia or encephalitis. Clinical signs can be almost anything; this is due to the fact that Toxoplasma can affect all human organs at once. Treatment of all forms of toxoplasmosis, except latent, depends on the duration of infection. Antiprotozoal drugs are usually prescribed, which need to be taken for a long time. However, for this you need to do linked immunosorbent assay, in which antibodies can be detected.

Symptoms of toxoplasmosis in cats

One of the symptoms of toxoplasmosis is the tears of a cat, since the causative agent of the disease also affects the eyes of the animal.

If the cat’s immunity is weak, then toxoplasmosis will occur in acute form. It also happens that a carrier cat becomes ill due to immune stress. In acute forms of toxoplasmosis, the cat owner needs to be especially vigilant. It is almost impossible to recognize the disease by its symptoms, since the signs of this disease are similar to the symptoms of other diseases:

• heat;
• swollen lymph nodes;
• cough, sneezing, runny nose, tears, conjunctivitis;
• muscle cramps or trembling, blurred vision or hearing, paralysis;
• weakness, apathy, shortness of breath;
• lack of appetite;
• vomiting, diarrhea, constipation;
• yellowness of the mucous membranes (with liver damage);
• miscarriages, high mortality rate among kittens.

On early stages distinguishing toxoplasmosis from other cat diseases can be difficult

How is the disease diagnosed?

There are several ways to test a cat for toxoplasma:

• conducting a bioassay on laboratory mice (not an option available to everyone);
• serological test for toxoplasmosis in cats;
• cytological studies and PCR (polymer chain reaction) - the most common method;
• serological studies;
• Ultrasound and x-ray of the animal.

None of the methods gives a 100% guarantee, so the analysis is usually repeated using a different diagnostic method. It is completely pointless to examine feces for the presence of cysts, since they can only be detected within 2–3 weeks from the onset of the disease. Usually, by the time symptoms of the disease appear, the cysts have stopped being released, so this method is a waste of time and money.

PCR, in turn, makes it possible to isolate DNA fragments belonging to Toxoplasma in biological material. In this case biological material may become blood, lymph, bronchial washings, urine or cerebrospinal fluid. A serological blood test can detect antibodies. In any case, toxoplasmosis can only be diagnosed in a veterinary laboratory.

Toxoplasmosis in a cat can be detected using laboratory tests.

Treatment of toxoplasmosis in cats

Assign competent treatment Only a veterinarian can. Therefore, at the slightest suspicion of bad feeling cats, especially if she has had contact with rodents or has eaten raw meat, you need to contact a veterinary clinic. Until the cat is examined by a veterinarian, you need to limit the animal’s contact with family members (especially pregnant women or children).

However, even timely treatment cannot give a 100% result. Typically, therapy is symptomatic, that is, treatment is aimed at eliminating symptoms, and the disease itself will simply become chronic. But even such therapy can last from several weeks to a year. During the entire treatment period, the cat’s condition should be carefully monitored, additional tests should be performed, and you should not be lazy to visit the veterinary clinic. If before infection the cat had other chronic diseases, then they can worsen, and only an experienced specialist can correct your pet’s health.

I heard that toxoplasmosis is treated with tetracycline. And if you reduce the disease to a minimum, the cat will not infect anyone.

Swaldi, felinologist

http://forum.mau.ru/viewtopic.php?t=14420

To cure a cat you will need intravenous injections, including in the form of droppers

Do kittens get sick and how to treat them?

Kittens, just like cats, can get toxoplasmosis. The course of the disease in small kittens differs little from the same process in adults. There is only one exception - kittens are more susceptible to the acute form of the disease. The most striking symptoms of this condition are:

• convulsions and paralysis;
• loss of coordination;
• general weakness, malaise, loss of appetite;
• jaundice (you can examine the oral cavity or the mucous membrane of the eyelids).

Kittens are often prescribed the same medications as cats, but in lower dosages. Only a veterinarian can correctly assess the baby’s condition and prescribe treatment. I know of cases where a cat suffered from something, and then its owners treated their kittens for the same disease. At the same time, they themselves decided which drugs and in what quantities to give, and this is wrong, because the kitten’s body perceives not only the disease, but also the drugs differently.

Kittens are as likely to get toxoplasmosis as cats.

Disease prevention

Unfortunately, there are no vaccinations against this infection yet. But this does not mean that nothing needs to be done. Preventive measures in this case the following actions may occur:

1. Daily cleaning of the cat litter box (once a week - using a 10% ammonia solution).
2. Complete exclusion from the diet of raw animal meat (especially pork, venison, lamb).
3. Limiting the cat's ability to catch mice, rats or birds.
4. Creating high-quality living conditions for the pet (cleanliness in the house, quality food, regular visits to the veterinarian, etc.).

Theoretically, almost every cat can be a carrier of Toxoplasma, so the cat owner should also take precautions.

How to protect yourself as a person

The main measure to prevent disease in people is careful attention to food and hygiene.

http://zooforum.ru/index.php?showtopic=42526

Video: report on the sources of toxoplasmosis infection