Toxoplasmosis
Prevention
Tips for preventing this condition:
- Avoid undercooked meats.
- Freeze meat to minus 20 degrees Celsius for 2 days.
- Wash hands after handling raw meat.
- Protect children's play areas from cat and dog feces.
- Wash your hands thoroughly after contact with soil that may be contaminated with animal feces.
- Pregnant women should avoid cleaning cat litter boxes and materials that are potentially infected with cat feces. They should also avoid materials that could be contaminated by insects exposed to cat feces (cockroaches, flies, etc.).
- Pregnant women should have a blood test for toxoplasmosis.
- Patients with HIV disease should have their toxoplasma antibody titers checked. Those with positive blood test results and a CD4 count of less than 100 should take preventive antibiotics with antiretroviral therapy until the CD4 cell count has risen.
References
Cohen J, Powderly WG. Infectious Diseases. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Elsevier; 2004.
Mandell GL, Bennett JE, Dolin R. Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 6th ed. London: Churchill Livingstone; 2005.
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