toxoplasmosis?

[josephine_e]

i just accidentally stepped on dh's grandparent's cat and he scratched me. it's an indoor/outdoor cat, so what he eats isn't really monitored at all (ie, he might be catching things outdoors). should i be concerned about toxoplasmosis? and if so, what should i do?? obviously, clean out the scratch and put on some antibacterial stuff?

[NatureMama3]

I would be more worried about cat scratch fever than toxoplasmosis from a scratch. If you clean it out well you shouldn't have to worry about anything beyond pain.

[kaylee18]

It is not possible to contract systemic toxoplasmosis from a scratch. Toxoplasmosis is transmitted by the swallowing of infectious spores from fecal matter. There are antibody tests that physicians can run to see if you have enduring immunity from a past infection (which would be very good news) or if you have had a recent infection (which would be very bad news - that is, assuming you're pregnant or will be pregnant soon), but most likely neither is true.

In other news, at least 50% of toxoplasmosis infections are contracted from undercooked/contaminated meat. At least one recent study has found the handling of cat feces not even to be a risk factor for toxoplasmosis.

[~Purity♥Lake~]

Yes, to what kaylee said.
I was about to post that then I read her post.

Not only do you have to ingest the feces to get it, the cat has to actually have toxoplasmosis.

[hapersmion]

Just to add yet more reassurance, not only does the cat have to have toxo, but it has to be shedding the virus. I believe they only shed once. I think you'll be fine.