3 ms·

The vast, vast majority of toxoplasma occurs in 3rd world countries, and living with a cat has been shown not to increase chance of catching it at all. Wiki:

by cm2012 13y ago

The vast, vast majority of toxoplasma occurs in 3rd world countries, and living with a cat has been shown not to increase chance of catching it at all. Wiki: The following have been identified as being risk factors for T. gondii infection:Exposure to or consumption of raw or undercooked meat[18][39][40][41]Drinking unpasteurized goat milk[39]Contact with soil[7][40]Eating unwashed raw vegetables or fruits[18]Cleaning cat litter boxes[18]Sewage has been identified as a carriage medium for the organism.[42][43][44][45]Numerous studies have shown living in a household with a cat is not a significant risk factor for T. gondiiinfection,[18][40][46] though living with several kittens has some significance.[47]

dm2 13y ago
While that's technically true (some countries have numbers as high as 80% infection rates), over 16% of the US human population is infected. That's a very large amount when talking about a brain parasite. http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/toxoplasmosis/ http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/toxoplasmosis/ An adult cat might not have a high risk of spreading the parasite but a kitten is a major risk of infection and dropping the parasites in the owners home.
facepalm 13y ago
"vast majority of toxoplasma occurs in 3rd world countries" Doesn't that hold for everything that happens to anyone, simply because much, much more people live in 3rd world countries? I seem to have read that 70% of french people are infected, because they like raw meat so much.
jtheory 13y ago
> vast, vast majority of toxoplasma occurs in 3rd world countries Well. I'm in France, which has a seriously high rate of infection; something around 50%. >living with a cat has been shown not to increase chance of catching it at all. But what's in the list of risk factors just below that? > Contact with soil ... Cleaning cat litter boxes So, living with a cat is fine as long as someone else changes its litter box, and you stay away from any soil into which your cat might potentially defecate.

by cm2012 13y ago

dm2 13y ago

While that's technically true (some countries have numbers as high as 80% infection rates), over 16% of the US human population is infected. That's a very large amount when talking about a brain parasite. http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/toxoplasmosis/ http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/toxoplasmosis/ An adult cat might not have a high risk of spreading the parasite but a kitten is a major risk of infection and dropping the parasites in the owners home.

facepalm 13y ago

"vast majority of toxoplasma occurs in 3rd world countries" Doesn't that hold for everything that happens to anyone, simply because much, much more people live in 3rd world countries? I seem to have read that 70% of french people are infected, because they like raw meat so much.

jtheory 13y ago

> vast, vast majority of toxoplasma occurs in 3rd world countries Well. I'm in France, which has a seriously high rate of infection; something around 50%. >living with a cat has been shown not to increase chance of catching it at all. But what's in the list of risk factors just below that? > Contact with soil ... Cleaning cat litter boxes So, living with a cat is fine as long as someone else changes its litter box, and you stay away from any soil into which your cat might potentially defecate.