Toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasmosis is a very common disease caused by a parasite. Most of the time it does not cause any symptoms. However, if you catch it while you're pregnant, it can harm your baby.

You can have toxoplasmosis and have no symptoms.

If you do have symptoms, you might feel like you have the flu, with fever, swollen glands, headaches or muscle pains. The symptoms will usually go away within a few days or weeks.

However, if you have a weakened immune system, the illness can be serious. Symptoms may include:

• fever
• headache
• seizures
• blurred vision
• confusion
• problems with coordination

Toxoplasmosis can also affect your mental health. People with toxoplasmosis are more likely to display aggressive behaviour or become more introverted. They are also more likely to develop mental health illnesses such as schizophrenia.

If you're pregnant, toxoplasmosis can lead to miscarriage or stillbirth. It can also cause problems for your baby, such as:

• hearing problems
• blindness
• learning problems
• seizures

There are things you can do to reduce your risk of getting toxoplasmosis during pregnancy.

Read more about toxoplasmosis in pregnancy.

Toxoplasmosis is caused by a parasite called toxoplasma gondii. The parasite can live in cats and their faeces (poo). It may be found in rats, mice, birds, pigs, sheep and kangaroos. It can also live in water and soil.

You can get toxoplasmosis if you:

• eat raw or undercooked meat
• do not wash your hands after gardening
• eat unwashed vegetables
• come in contact with cat faeces (poo) in soil or sandpits
• handle cat litter

If you're pregnant, have immune problems or have severe symptoms and think you may have toxoplasmosis, you should see your doctor immediately.

A blood test will show if you have toxoplasmosis. It can show if you have been recently infected, or if you have had it in the past.

If you're pregnant, unwell or have a weak immune system, your doctor will recommend antibiotics. You might need to take a combination of antibiotics.

Most healthy people will usually not need treatment.

If your baby has been infected with toxoplasmosis during pregnancy, they may need to be treated with antibiotics. Your baby's doctor will monitor their vision, hearing and development as they grow up.

The best ways to prevent toxoplasmosis are to:

• Wash your hands and kitchen equipment after handling raw meat.
• Thoroughly wash all vegetables before eating them.
• Thoroughly cook all meat.
• Wear gloves when gardening and wash your hands afterwards.
• Avoid handling cat faeces if you are pregnant or have a weak immune system. If you must handle animals or kitty litter, wear gloves and carefully wash your hands afterwards.

If you have a weakened immune system and have had toxoplasmosis in the past, the parasites remaining in your body may reactivate and can cause serious illness. You can ask your doctor about doing a blood test to check if you've had toxoplasmosis.

For more information about healthy eating during pregnancy, including preventing toxoplasmosis during pregnancy, see the Queensland Government website.