You know what pet doesn’t come with a nasty little blindness-causing parasite? A dog.
This humble Back Page scribe is – under normal circumstances – strictly a dog person.
But this weekend, when confronted with a friend’s newly adopted nine-week-old kitten, it was hard not to admit that the feline critters can be pretty damn cute when they want to be.
While it’s true that this cold heart had begun to warm to the idea of one day owning a cat, reading a recent paper out of Flinders University has swiftly put an end to the notion.
The paper, which was published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, argued that toxoplasmosis should sit higher on public health agendas.
Toxoplasmosis is caused by the toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) parasite. While the little suckers can and do infect most warm-blooded animals, T. gondii can only lay its eggs in a cat.
Cats then poop out T. gondii eggs by the millions, spreading the parasite far and wide.
Previous research estimated that up to 30% of Australians show signs of past toxoplasma infections.
While most infections are asymptomatic, toxoplasmosis can cause miscarriage in pregnant women or lifelong neurological and/or visual impairment in the foetus.
“Although toxoplasmosis is often regarded as a zoonosis that is an unavoidable consequence of everyday human–animal interactions, accumulated evidence indicates otherwise: toxoplasmosis has well-characterized pathways of transmission, and is preventable and controllable,” Australian and Brazilian researchers wrote in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.
“This Viewpoint argues that toxoplasmosis fully meets all criteria set down by the World Health Organization (WHO) for recognition as a neglected tropical disease (NTD) on public health and policy grounds, regardless of the taxonomic grouping of T. gondii.
“Importantly, official recognition as an NTD could advance research, capacity building, and public health action to address the substantial burden of toxoplasmosis.”
The paper identified studies from Latin America, the Middle East and Africa which consistently reported higher infection risks in households with limited access to safe water, sanitation and healthcare.
Infants who survive congenital toxoplasmosis often face lifelong health consequences, which in turn keeps them in the “poverty trap”, the paper said.
“At a time when the WHO NTD framework emphasises equity, integration and multisectoral action, toxoplasmosis represents a clear and actionable gap that warrants corrective action,” co-author and Flinders University ophthalmology researcher Professor Justine Smith told media.
“Our statement is a call to action to finally address the unacceptable global health burden of toxoplasmosis.”
Professor Smith said formal recognition of toxoplasmosis as a threat at the WHO level would support countries to integrate prevention into maternal and child health programs, food safety systems and primary care.
For this author’s part, I’m going to contribute to the control of toxoplasmosis by not owning a cat.
Send pictures of your dog to Holly@medicalrepublic.com.au.
