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===Pathology===
===Pathology===
==Treatment==
==Treatment==
Pregnant women should avoid contact with cats. If contact is unavoidable, pregnant women should at least avoid cleaning cat litter boxes or wear gloves when doing so. Meat should be cooked thoroughly, to a temperature of 165 to 170° F (74 to 77° C), and hands should be washed thoroughly after handling raw meat, soil, or cat litter. Freezing to a temperature of 9° F (13° C ) or below also destroys the parasite.
Potential organ donors should be tested to prevent the spread of the parasite through transplanted organs. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole Some Trade Names
may be used to prevent toxoplasmosis. People who cannot take this drug may be given pyrimethamine Some Trade Names
DARAPRIM
with dapsone Some Trade Names
ACZONE
. Another option is atovaquone Some Trade Names
MEPRON
with or without pyrimethamine Some Trade Names
DARAPRIM
. Because pyrimethamine Some Trade Names
DARAPRIM
can damage bone marrow, leucovorin is given with it to help protect the bone marrow. People with AIDS may be given highly active antiretroviral drugs to reduce the risk of toxoplasmosis.
Infected adults without symptoms and with a healthy immune system do not require treatment. Adults with symptoms and infants with congenital toxoplasmosis are treated with sulfadiazine plus pyrimethamine Some Trade Names
DARAPRIM
and leukovorin. Higher does of pyrimethamine Some Trade Names
DARAPRIM
are typically used in people with AIDS or other conditions that weaken the immune system. If people cannot take sulfadiazine, clindamycin Some Trade Names
CLEOCIN
can be used with pyrimethamine Some Trade Names
DARAPRIM
instead. Women who acquire toxoplasmosis during pregnancy may be treated with spiramycin to prevent transmission to the fetus. In addition to these drugs, people with chorioretinitis are given prednisone or another corticosteroid to reduce inflammation. In people with AIDS, toxoplasmosis tends to recur, so drugs are often continued indefinitely.
To prevent infection, the hands of people handling meat should be washed thoroughly with soap and water after contact, as should all cutting boards, sink tops, knives, and other materials. The stages of T gondii in meat are killed by contact with soap and water. T gondii organisms in meat can also be killed by exposure to extreme cold or heat. Tissue cysts in meat are killed by heating the meat throughout to 67°C or by cooling to -13°C. Toxoplasma in tissue cysts are also killed by exposure to 0.5 kilorads of gamma irradiation. Meat of any animal should be cooked to 67°C before consumption, and tasting meat while cooking or while seasoning should be avoided. Pregnant women should avoid contact with cat litter, soil, and raw meat. Pet cats should be fed only dry, canned, or cooked food. The cat litter box should be emptied daily, preferably not by a pregnant woman. Gloves should be worn while gardening. Vegetables should be washed thoroughly before eating because they may have been contaminated with cat feces.
To prevent infection, the hands of people handling meat should be washed thoroughly with soap and water after contact, as should all cutting boards, sink tops, knives, and other materials. The stages of T gondii in meat are killed by contact with soap and water. T gondii organisms in meat can also be killed by exposure to extreme cold or heat. Tissue cysts in meat are killed by heating the meat throughout to 67°C or by cooling to -13°C. Toxoplasma in tissue cysts are also killed by exposure to 0.5 kilorads of gamma irradiation. Meat of any animal should be cooked to 67°C before consumption, and tasting meat while cooking or while seasoning should be avoided. Pregnant women should avoid contact with cat litter, soil, and raw meat. Pet cats should be fed only dry, canned, or cooked food. The cat litter box should be emptied daily, preferably not by a pregnant woman. Gloves should be worn while gardening. Vegetables should be washed thoroughly before eating because they may have been contaminated with cat feces.
At present there is no vaccine to prevent toxoplasmosis in humans.
At present there is no vaccine to prevent toxoplasmosis in humans.
==Prognosis==
==Prognosis==
==Links==
==Links==