Changes

===Transmission to Sheep===

===Transmission to Sheep===

Infected cats shed oocysts continuously between days 3 and 14 post-infection. During this time, tens of millions of oocysts may be shed. The main sources of feline toxoplasma infection are chronically infected birds and rodents. Rodents are particularly important since they can pass ''T. gondii'' infection to their offspring without causing clinical disease. This means that a location may develop a reservoir of ''T. gondii'' tissue cysts with the potential to cause feline infection and massive oocyst excretion. In turn, environments may easily become contaminated with a high oocyst burdedn/

Infected cats shed oocysts continuously between days 3 and 14 post-infection. During this time, hundreds of millions of oocysts may be shed. The main sources of feline toxoplasma infection are chronically infected birds and rodents. Rodents are particularly important since they can pass ''T. gondii'' infection to their offspring without causing clinical disease. This means that a location may develop a reservoir of ''T. gondii'' tissue cysts with the potential to cause feline infection and massive oocyst excretion. In turn, environments may easily become contaminated with a high oocyst burden when a cat is introduced.

 

Sheep are often kept in an environment that is significantly contaminated with oocysts, and infection follows ingestion of infected food, primarily contaminated pasture. Fields treated with manure or bedding from buildings to which cats have access result in high levels of ovine toxoplasmosis, and insecure storage of supplementary feeds also poses a risk.

evidence suggests that, in the UK, sheep are

frequently maintained in an environment significantly

contaminated with oocysts and that infection follows

ingestion of infected food17"8. Perhaps the most

common source of infection is contaminated pasture.

Certainly, fields treated with manure and bedding

from farm buildings where cats live can cause

infection'9. Careless storage of farm feeds may also

pose a risk20. Fifty grams of infected cat faeces may

by cat faeces.

==Signalment==

==Signalment==