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Health

Toxoplasma

, medical expert
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Due to its damaging properties, toxoplasm is a dangerous microscopic parasite (the simplest microorganism), capable of metabolizing into any cell of the human body, whether it is the nervous, epithelial or cardiac tissue.

Toxoplasma gondii

Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular protozoan parasite that lives in the host organism in anaerobic (without access to oxygen) conditions. Reproduction of these microorganisms is represented by endodiogeny (the method of division, consisting in the formation of two daughter organisms under the membrane of the parent). A living organism can coexist for a long time inside its master (man and animal), not manifesting itself in any way. In this case, the foreign body parasitizes in any cell and in any organ.

The main distributors of toxoplasma are animals belonging to the cat family. They are the main owners and the incubator of the protozoa at the stage of sexual development (oocyst formation). The cat, a carrier of toxoplasma, is capable of "sowing" up to two billion oocysts in soil for two weeks, parasites in this form are capable of not losing vitality even before two years. But it is worth them to get into the environment, where the temperature is 60 оС and above, as the protozoa die. Almost immediately they die from the effects of disinfectants. Although in the salivary fluid during the exacerbation, after taking the drug, they are able to live up to two to three hours.

It is difficult to diagnose toxoplasm of gondii symptomatically, as its clinical manifestations can be observed only in 1-5% of all cases and most of them occur in patients whose history is diagnosed with human immunodeficiency (HIV infection). A legitimate question arises: "If there are no manifestations - why should you be treated?" But, it turns out, it is still necessary to treat it. Directly for an adult, toxoplasmosis is not dangerous, but if a woman decides to become a mother, this insidious enemy, easily entering the embryo through the placenta, can quickly lead him to death or cause irreversible processes in the development of the fetus that can cause disability and ugliness.

Toxoplasma enters the human body orally (through the mouth). To pick up the oocysts can be in an open pond, through food: if they are not thoroughly washed (vegetables, fruits, greens) or heat treated (jerky, undercooked meat and fish). Toxoplasmosis is called a disease of unwashed hands. But there is another way of getting cysts into the human body - percutaneous. That is, toxoplasm gets through the mucous membrane and wounds on the skin. In this way, veterinarians, slaughterhouse and meat-packing plant workers are most at risk of catching this disease, that is, the professional activity of which involves obligatory contact with raw meat or animals. Another way of infection is donation, medical need for blood transfusion (blood transfusion) or organ transplantation.

Structure of toxoplasm

Toksoplazma belongs to the class of sporovikov and, getting into the human body, provokes the development of toxoplasmosis. The geography of its distribution is heterogeneous, as some regions of the Earth show that 90% of the population is affected by this protozoan microorganism, and some regions are practically sterile.

The structure of toxoplasm ("taxon" - arc, "plasma" - form) - quite classical for the simplest. The shape of the microorganism slightly resembles a crescent and reaches a size of 4 to 12 microns. At the pointed tip is a conoid - a special "adaptation", with which the parasite sucks in the host's body. Toksoplazma does not have any special organelles that promote the movement of a living organism, but it does not need it, it already has a wonderful glide (screwing in, like a corkscrew), without hindrance into the cage.

The organism of toxoplasm of gondii is provided with gpts, which also help in the process of implantation. The Golgi apparatus is, in fact, the "stomach" of the parasite, where the lysosomes, when released by necessity, break down large protein molecules with the help of special enzymes. Mitochondria - they are the processes of oxidation. Located in the opposite end of the conoid, the ribosomes are responsible for the biosynthesis of the protein. It is made from amino acids and occurs according to a given program, which is stored by the genetic biomatrix (RNA).

Getting into the cage, toxoplasma settles in it, creating a colony of pseudocysts and gradually destroying the "sheltered" their cage. Further, having got in a blood-groove, it is carried on all organism, occupying new cells. It is not surprising that toxoplasm can be detected in a variety of places (brain, liver, eyes, bladder, heart).

Toxoplasma Cysts

Toxoplasmosis is a disease provoked by protozoa toxoplasm. The main way to get these parasites into the human body is through the mouth. This way of penetration is facilitated by unwashed hands, dirty vegetables, raw infected meat. The main owner of these small aggressors is called cats. This is true, but it is also known that only about two percent of pets are infected with this disease. In order to produce the toxoplasmic cysts, all the necessary factors must converge.

  • It is necessary that the cat be a carrier of toxoplasmosis.
  • Cysts of toxoplasm are excreted together with cat feces, and only once for a whole cat's life, while the duration of cysts is from a week to three.
  • During this period, under the influence of room temperature, parasites are able to degenerate into a spore form, which, after leaving its host, can maintain its viability for a whole year. It is the shape of the spores that makes it possible for cysts to travel long distances, polluting the surrounding space.
  • If they manage to get into the human body (into the gastrointestinal tract), they are activated, beginning to intensively share.

But how can they get into a person?

  • In the case of a person's contact with the calves of an infected cat or a filler where the animal has defecated, the cysts fall on their hands and, if they are not washed with soap, there is a real risk of infection with toxoplasma.
  • The carriers of this infection can be flies and cockroaches: they first contacted the feces of an infected cat, then with food. If they are not thoroughly washed or heat-treated, the result is infection with toxoplasmosis.

It should be noted that such a path of defeat is more common for children playing with wild cats or in a street sandbox (they have not yet fully mastered the rules of personal hygiene), therefore, many years of research confirm that in most cases, patients become infected with this disease even in childhood .

The adults can catch this infection through thermally poorly processed food. In most cases, this applies to lamb and pork, which is affected by toxoplasma oocysts. This pathway affects 30 to 60% of cases. To get into the body toxoplasmosis can also through water from open water bodies (if a person, bathing, swallowed a little water, or, consuming it in food, not boiling). Up to 90% of cases of toxoplasmosis are asymptomatic, only in rare cases symptoms can be observed akin to a cold.

Toxoplasma is "omnivorous", and is able to penetrate the cell barriers of any tissues. Exception is made by red blood cells (red blood cells). They are "rescued" by the fact that their cell does not have a nucleus. In most cases, cysts settle in the brain cells, cardiac and skeletal muscle tissues. Approximately two percent of cases are caused by the defeat of the cysts of the eye field, which is fraught with blindness.

Toxoplasma, getting into the blood system, is carried throughout the body. Especially it is dangerous at a time when a woman is carrying a baby, because the high biokinetics of the parasite allows him to easily overcome the placental barrier, getting into the amniotic fluid and into the body of an unborn child. Due to the intervention of toxoplasma, a falcon may develop in the development of the fetus. A baby can be born with a physical or mental pathology.

For the adult carrier of this infection, it is not dangerous. Reactivation of infection occurs very rarely. Congenital toxoplasmosis is represented by only a few registered cases.

The life cycle of toxoplasm

Clinical studies have already shown that toxoplasm is an obligate (not able to reproduce outside the cell) simple parasitic organism. He is able to live inside the cell nucleus. In the general biological terms, toxoplasm gondii can be attributed to organisms with high adaptive capacity. The geography of its distribution is quite wide. This parasite can be found at all latitudes. It is able to live and reproduce in almost any organism of birds and animals, striking by its presence any tissue cells. In 1965, the fact of the transmission of these parasites through cats was experimentally confirmed, revealing in their stool masses in the form of oocysts. The result of the research was the deciphered life cycle of toxoplasm, represented by two stages: intestinal and extra-intestinal (non-tissue).

The intestinal stage is caused by the development of a parasite that passes into the intestinal mucosa of the final host. Such a host are almost all representatives of felines, not including domestic cats. The life cycle of toxoplasma is divided into four stages:

  • Schizogony is the process of cell division related to the multiplication of the simplest microorganisms by the spore method: multiple division of the cell nucleus and further division into merozoites (multiple daughter cells).
  • Endodiogeny (internal budding) is a method of multiplication of the simplest microorganisms, which consists in the formation of two new organisms under the membrane of the maternal cell.
  • Gametogonia - sexual reproduction in organisms, represented by the fusion of different gametes of one or various protozoa.
  • Sporogony - the process of division, formed as a result of the fusion of the sexual individuals of the zygote in sporovikov.

All these stages of division take place in different parts of the living organism of the host. Such stages as gametogonia, schizogony and the initial stage of sporogony occur directly in the intestine of the final host, which is one of the representatives of the feline. The completion of the stage of sporogony ends outside the intestine in the external environmental environment. Endodiagnosis occurs in the body of the main or intermediate host, which man can be.

The cycle of development of toxoplasm

The cycle of development of toxoplasm is directly related to the change of one host to another. In this case, the main host of the parasite can be any representative of the feline. Intermediate development base - a hundred representatives of birds, mammals (including humans), as well as reptiles.

A cat is usually infected with toxoplasmosis after eating an infected rodent or raw meat. Trophozoites, trapped in her body, through the digestive system fall into the epithelial cells of the mucous tissue. Here, schizogony takes place, as a result of which merozoites develop, which are already formed as microgametes (male "individuals") and macrogametes (female sex cells). After the fusion of heterozygous gametes, a neoplasm such as oocysts is provided, provided with a rigid protective coat. In this form, toxoplasm can already enter the external environment for further spread. The exit occurs in conjunction with the feces of a cat. Once in the outer ecosystem, in the next few days (if favorable conditions have developed), each oocyst receives a pair of sporocysts with two pairs of sporozoites. Already at this stage, toxoplasm becomes invasive and is ready for further infection of surrounding organisms. Then, again getting into the body of an intermediate host, the current of lymph and blood spreads throughout the body, where further asexual reproduction takes place, which takes place inside the cells. The formation of trophozoites with a coat forms pseudocysts. Enveloping cysts of the membrane are broken and trophozoites are able to penetrate into neighboring cells.

If the body is provided with a strong immune system, the division of toxoplasm is limited and only true cysts are formed, which do not lose their life opportunities for decades. Similar processes of cyst formation (in addition to sexual division) also occur in the body of the main host of the parasite.

Invasive stage of toxoplasm

The stage in the "life" of the protozoa, in which they can further develop, falling into other conditions (the next host) is the invasive stage of toxoplasm. At the same time for people there are several types of penetration: getting mature oocysts, real cysts or endozoites.

Oocysts in the invasive stage of toxoplasma can get the patient due to unwashed or poorly processed vegetables and fruits, as well as neglect to the elementary rules of hygiene (washing hands before consuming any food). If the causative agent of toxoplasmosis has got into the human body due to blood transfusion, organ transplantation, through poorly processed food, heat-treated dairy products, and so on, the invasion will be provoked by real cysts and endozoites. Getting into a favorable environment, endositis buds, forming about three dozen daughter cells. After the rupture of the protective membrane, they penetrate into neighboring cells, thereby continuing the spread of the disease. It is during this period that the person is most contagious, since toxoplasma in the invasive state is present in saliva, and in tears, breast milk, feces, urine, sweat.

Gradually, the patient's body begins to increase its immune defense. Toksoplazma goes into the phase of cens in endosites, which are able to be preserved in the human body for long years, recurring in the event of a decrease in the body's defenses.

The final host of toxoplasm

The main or final host of toxoplasm is the mammal of the family of cats (Felidae). They can become both the main and transitional shelter of toxoplasm. It is in the structure of the epithelium of the intestinal mucosa, by means of a megohonia, that the simplest, multiplying, forms merozoites, which are divided into microgametes - "spermatozoa" (male sex cells) and female (macrogametes - "oocytes"). Fusing, they are fertilized, receiving immature oocysts. It is they who come out of the body of cats along with their feces. In the event that parasites enter the conditions necessary for further development, they degenerate into mature oocysts. There is sporogony. If external factors are unfavorable, the parasite is preserved, continuing to maintain its viability for a long time.

Morphology of toxoplasm

The parasite multiplies by longitudinal division of the cell. Each cyst is located in a capsule, which is formed from the remains of the "bodies" of destroyed cells and is located inside the cell protoplasm or outside it. The accumulation of such parasites is called pseudocysts. The morphology of toxoplasm is similar to Encephalitozoon. There are parasites mainly in mice, cats and some other animals.

When suspected of toxoplasmosis, several different techniques are used.

  • Spinal fluid taken from the spine of the patient is sent for examination. This material is accelerated in a centrifuge at a speed of 2000 rpm. The procedure lasts 15 - 20 minutes. The discarded sediment is analyzed, examined under a microscope, filling a drop of precipitate under a special glass, while contrasting dyes are not used.
  • It is possible to prepare a smear from the obtained sediment, which is already tinted and using the method of Romanovsky is examined under a microscope.
  • In the same way, one can also examine a sample from the pleural region.
  • With pneumonia, an analysis of pulmonary sputum is carried out (stained smear in Romanovsky).
  • In case of lethality, the corpse, the material for a smear is made immediately from several liquids and organs: ventricular, spinal and peritoneal fluid, as well as from the brain, lungs, pancreas, liver, spleen. Further laboratory testing is carried out according to the already classical scheme (fixation with alcohol, tinting according to Romanovsky).
  • It should be noted that even in the case of increased invasion, toxoplasma in the plasma fluid is rarely detected.

Toxoplasma during pregnancy

A person, after living his whole life, may never know that he was infected with this unpleasant disease. It's worse when a woman who has a fetus in her womb finds out about her illness. Toxoplasma during pregnancy is a rather dangerous defeat. With the blood of an infected mother, the parasite unhindered enters the embryo's body. His impact on the new life is not predictable enough, but definitely negative. Infection of the fetus with toxoplasmosis can result in severe postpartum pathology, external malformation, psychological abnormalities of the child, and can lead to spontaneous abortion. The presence of a parasite can provoke premature birth or the birth of a dead baby. In any case, the consequences are very terrible for both the woman and her child.

Statistics provided by doctors are quite frightening. About 12% of women are infected with toxoplasmosis during pregnancy, with about 30-40% of babies infected with the disease from their infected mothers even in her womb. Especially dangerous for the further development and severity of subsequent complications are the early gestation of the baby. It is in this situation that particularly serious pathologies occur. If a woman is infected during the third trimester - 90%, that the baby will also be infected, but the course of the disease is asymptomatic. In a situation where the expectant mother "hooked" the parasite long before pregnancy (six months or more), infection of the fetus occurs in isolated cases. The less time between infection and conception, the higher the risk of congenital infection of the child.

Symptoms of toxoplasm

The manifestation of toxoplasmosis is very veiled or completely asymptomatic. In some cases, the symptoms of toxoplasm can be quite diverse, but not unambiguously expressed, which allows them to be taken for the symptomatology of other diseases. Since the moment the parasite enters the patient's body before the symptomatic manifestation, it can take up to three weeks. This can be a phenomenon, both colds, and symptoms of neoplasm. Therefore, in order to diagnose toxoplasmosis, it is necessary to seek advice and a test for a specialist who will conduct all the necessary studies, ascertain the diagnosis and prescribe adequate treatment. The symptoms of toxoplasm can be different. It all depends on which body was struck:

  • Enlargement of lymph nodes.
  • Hepatosplenomegaly - growth of the size of the spleen and liver.
  • Encephalitis.
  • Growth of intracranial pressure.
  • Vasculitis.
  • Minor mental disorders.
  • Tachycardia.
  • Meningoencephalitis.
  • Headache.
  • Chest pain.
  • False meningeal symptoms.
  • Vascular crises.
  • Drawing pain with passive movement.
  • Numbness of limbs, pain symptoms.
  • Inflammation of the eye.
  • Fast fatiguability.
  • The respite.
  • Fever.
  • And multiple other symptoms.

The norm of toxoplasma in the blood

There is simply no such thing as the norm of toxoplasma in the blood in medical vocabulary, because toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by toxoplasm (the simplest single-celled parasite). Toxoplasma is not an element and not an enzyme produced by the body for its adequate functioning. Such a category as the norm is justified in combination: "glucose norm", "hemoglobin norm", "cholesterol norm". In this light, talking about the norm of toxoplasm in the blood is not correct at all, because it simply does not have to be in the human body.

However, if a person has recovered with toxoplasmosis, antibodies are formed in his blood, which are further protected against re-infection. Determine their presence and level in the plasma allows the method of enzyme immunoassay (ELISA). He is also considered the most informative way to diagnose the toxoplasmosis itself and the timing of the lesion. It is for antibodies that very conventional norms are adopted, which vary within different laboratories. To date, there are two types of antibodies: IgG and IgM. For example, the results of studies in one of the laboratories are based on the following indicators: if IgG is less than 9.0, then the result of the research is negative, if the figure shows 12 and above is positive, in the case of an intermediate indicator, the result is unambiguously undefined and requires a second analysis after two Four weeks. Similarly, with IgM: if less than 0.8 - the result is negative, and more than 1.1 - positive.

Antibodies to toxoplasma

It is worth knowing that the main issue in diagnosing toxoplasmosis is not only the fact of its detection, but the diagnosis of its form: a person is the carrier of infection or an acute form of the disease. This question is answered by antibodies to toxoplasma IgM and IgG.

A positive result for IgM antibodies suggests that the patient has toxoplasmosis, which progresses at a given time. Confirmation of the presence of antibodies of IgG class informs that in the past the patient has already transferred this disease, and the risk of re-infection tends to zero. Therefore, if the type of IgG is found in the pregnant woman's blood, it is a guarantee that the woman and her fetus are already protected from re-infection. If this type is absent in the mother's blood, then the threat of the disease exists.

trusted-source[1], [2], [3], [4]

Toxoplasma IgM

In a normal state, when a person is not sick and does not suffer from toxoplasmosis, IgM toxoplasm in the blood is absent. This class of antibodies is determined by analyzes in the period of acute lesion, level indicators show peak values within a month after infection and, dropping off, completely disappear in two to three months. The negative result for antibodies of IgM type speaks only about the absence in the given period and the next three months of an acute form of the disease, but does not indicate whether the disease has previously occurred. But do not forget that if a person has a history of rheumatoid factor and / or antinuclear antibodies, you can get a false positive result. In the presence of immunodeficiency, IgM antibodies are not detected even in the acute period of infection.

Toxoplasma lgG

During the "recovery" period, toxoplasm IgG begins to be determined. Antibodies of this type can be diagnosed for the next decades. The lgG in the blood counts toxoplasmosis, which affected the patient's body in the past, gives an assessment of post-vaccination immunity. Laboratory tests can show a false positive result in the case of a patient with lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis. Studies in this case it is desirable to repeat.

Toxoplasma analysis

The essence of the laboratory study is to determine the number of toxoplasma in the blood. Predominantly, toxoplasma analysis is prescribed for pregnant women to prevent the birth of children with severe pathology. For analysis, the blood is taken from the vein. The determination of the number of parasites is carried out on a fixed volume of blood. Research results:

  • The figure is less than 6.5 IU / ml of blood - the result is negative (but there is a possibility of an initial stage of the disease). After a couple of weeks, it is desirable to repeat the blood test.
  • The indicator in the range from 6.5 to 8.0 IU / ml is an ambiguous result and after a couple of weeks it is worth repeating the study.
  • More than 8.0 IU / ml - this indicator indicates the presence of toxoplasmosis.

You can get the following result:

  • Ig M - "-", IgG - "-" - the disease is absent. A pregnant woman in this analysis falls into a risk group for infection.
  • Ig M - "-", IgG - "+" - there are antibodies that provide protection from this disease in the future.
  • Ig M - "+", IgG - "-" - an acute form of the disease. During pregnancy, there is a high probability of intrauterine infection of the embryo.
  • Ig M - "+", IgG - "+" - Primary infection is possible, additional tests and a second blood test for toxoplasmosis are not necessary after two to three weeks.

If a woman is planning a pregnancy and at the same time is the mistress of a cat, it is worth giving it to someone for the duration of pregnancy (especially if he is accustomed to walking on the street).

Avidity to toxoplasma

Avidity (from avidity - "greedy") - is the ability of IgG antibodies to resist subsequent attempts to infect the human body with simple parasites of toxoplasm. Avidity to toxoplasm is determined from those considerations that in the initial period of the disease the ability to resist parasites is weak enough, whereas as the distance from the acute period of the disease begins to develop, the immunity begins to produce antibodies IgG, whose avidity invariably increases. Antibodies - a special protein structure - are "able to recognize" a hostile antigen (in this case toxoplasm). After identification, they adhere to toxoplasma, acting on its membrane and violating the integrity of the barrier. After this, the parasite dies.

It is the strength of such a connection that is called avidity to toxoplasm. Usually this level is calculated for antibodies of IgG type, since this is the most informative indicator.

trusted-source[5], [6], [7], [8], [9]

Index of avidity to toxoplasma

Unique protein molecule - antigen - effectively recognizes, blocks and destroys the parasite. The "strength" of antibodies is estimated using an index that shows the number of binding antibodies per hundred pieces of toxoplasm. The index of avidity to toxoplasma physicians are divided into three categories:

  • Low - less than 30% of the binding pairs. Shows the recent infection - no more than three months.
  • The average level is from 31 to 40%. A transitional period with the presence of both types of antibodies in the blood. The analysis is worth repeating in a couple of weeks.
  • High avidity is more than 40%. The disease was transferred long enough.

Treatment of toxoplasma

Most often, the treatment of toxoplasm in modern conditions is based on preparations of the pyrimethamine group (chloridine, tindurine). To increase their effectiveness, concurrently prescribed sulfonamides or clindamycin with calcium folinate. But it is worth noting that the doctors carefully prescribe pyrimethamine during pregnancy, since it is an active antagonist of folic acid, which is fraught with malfunctions in the functioning of the body's systems of the pregnant woman. And this is categorically not permissible. If a person is diagnosed with HIV in a medical history, in the treatment of toxoplasma, a higher dosage of drugs or longer course duration is included in the protocol of therapy.

Pyrimethacin. This medicine is prescribed after a meal with a dosage of 25 mg. Pirimetatsin is attributed in conjunction with sulfalen or sulfadoxine, which pass with a dosage of 1 g. During the day, two doses of the drug complex are performed. Treatment takes courses with a break of ten days. The recommended number is two to three courses. With particular caution, this drug should be given if the patient suffers from liver or kidney dysfunction, during pregnancy, in case of lack of folic acid in the patient's body. Treatment with pyrimetacin can also provoke multiple side effects: dry mouth, diarrhea, nausea, allergic rash, headache, painful cramping in the abdomen.

Spiramycin. The drug is taken orally regardless of the time it consumes food. The daily dose of the drug is 6 - 9 million IU (two to three tablets), administered in two to three doses. The daily amount of the drug should not exceed a figure of 9 million IU. For children, the dosage is selected strictly by the doctor, depending on the weight of the baby. If the patient has liver pathology, against the background of treatment, its functional state should be periodically monitored.

Clarithromycin. For adolescents 12 years and older, as well as adults, the prescribed dosage is 0.25-0.5 g divided by two daily doses. The duration of the treatment course is usually one to two weeks.

It is not necessary to appoint clarithromycin to patients with individual intolerance to the components of the drug and children under the age of 12 years.

The course of treatment of toxoplasmosis necessarily includes antihistamines, immunostimulants and immunomodulators. In the case of the use of powerful antiparasitic drugs, the whole intestinal microflora suffers. Therefore, in order to prevent dysbiosis, it is necessary to include probiotics in the therapy schedule.

Linex (probiotic). Capsule is consumed inside immediately after the end of the meal, washing down with the necessary amount of liquid. Babies who are not yet three years old, it is difficult to swallow the capsule entirely. In this case, it is necessary to open it, and the content is diluted with water and given to the child.

All children under two years (including infants) are assigned one capsule three times during the day.

Children from 2 to 12 - one - two capsules three times a day.

Teenagers over 12 and adults - two capsules three times a day.

The duration of treatment depends largely on the clinic of the disease itself, as well as on the individual sensitivity of the patient's body to the components that make up the drug.

Interferon (immunostimulant). The drug enters the patient through the nasal passage by instillation or by spraying. Sealed ampoule is opened immediately before use. The powder is poured a little water and shaken carefully, leading to a homogeneous solution. Five drops of immunomodulator are instilled in each nostril, the procedure is repeated twice a day. When using a spray, 0.25 ml of the drug is sprayed into the nasal passage. The interval between receptions should not be less than six hours. There were no obvious contraindications and side effects of interferon administration.

The course of taking the drug depends on the degree of severity of the pathology and the response of the patient's body to the medications administered.

Prophylaxis of toxoplasm

Prevention of any disease is an important activity designed to protect people's health. Important and prevention of toxoplasma, especially this issue is relevant during the planning and pregnancy (a high risk of getting sick are women with weak immunity). To prevent infection, you can give these tips:

  • Working with the ground, you should protect your hands with seals. Any wound or crack on the finger can become a "wicket" for the penetration of parasites.
  • Wash fruits and vegetables carefully.
  • Adhere to personal hygiene: wash your hands before eating, after a street, toilet, cleaning.
  • Carefully handle your hands after working with raw meat.
  • Exclude from the diet poorly roasted meat (for example, steak with blood, jerky and fish).
  • Drink only boiled water.
  • Do not press the animals to the lips and it is necessary, after communicating with the pet, to wash your hands with soap and water.
  • Periodically pass the examination yourself and take tests of your pet. This is effective if the animal does not eat raw meat and does not happen on the street.
  • Carry out heat treatment of food products.

As a rule, toxoplasma affects the human body imperceptibly and proceeds asymptomatically. The majority of the population who have lived a lifetime and do not know whether they had had toxoplasmosis or not, because the disease does not inflict damage to the body, while the ill organism produces antibodies that prevent further infection. But do not delude yourself, especially women who are preparing to become a mother. To minimize the risk of pathology to a minimum - it is necessary to undergo examination and, if necessary, a course of treatment. And preventive measures and personal hygiene will serve as a good protection not only against toxoplasmosis, but also many other diseases.

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