Dear Doctor Column, October 4, 2004

Reducing Risk of Toxoplasmosis During Pregnancy

Question:

My obstetrician told me not to change my cat’s litter box while I’m pregnant. Why?

Answer:

Your obstetrician told you this because of the risk of toxoplasma infection. Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii, which can infect the fetus and cause malformations or even miscarriages. Toxoplasma is carried by cats, more often kittens than older, family pets, and is passed in their feces (stool). Cats get the toxoplasma parasite from eating small animals or raw meat that is infected. The infection does not make the cat sick, so you may not know if your cat has it. People are more likely to get toxoplasmosis from eating undercooked meat, gardening in soil where cats go to the bathroom, or changing the cat’s litter box than from contact with pet cats.

In addition to pregnant women, a person’s age and health status may affect their immune system, increasing the chances of toxoplasmosis. People who are more likely to get sick with toxoplasmosis include infants, children aged 5 years and younger, organ transplant patients, people with HIV/AIDS, and people getting treatments for cancer that suppress their immune systems.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, you can reduce your risk of getting toxoplasmosis by following these safety tips:

• Wear gloves when gardening and wash hands after any contact with soil or sand, which may contain cat waste.
• Keep pet cats indoors if you can.
• Feed cats only canned or boxed cat food, never undercooked or raw meat.
• Have someone who is not pregnant or immunocomprised clean out the litter box every day. If there is no one else to change the litter box, wear rubber gloves, throw them in the trash once you are finished, and wash hands thoroughly with soap and water.
• Avoid adopting or handling stray cats.