Coronavirus pandemic must encourage cessation of cat meat trade

Cat and Dog Meat Trade Investigation Hanoi

The coronavirus pandemic will hopefully signal the beginning of the end of the cat meat trade in southern China because Covid-19 is a zoonotic disease. I have been looking at a study from 2019 which researched the connection between Toxoplasma gondii and mental health in southeast China. They found a ‘significantly higher’ level of …

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How do I know if my cat has toxoplasmosis?

Toxoplasma gondii cyst in mouse brain.

You might not know that your cat has toxoplasmosis because the most common signs are the signs of other illnesses such as lethargy and loss of appetite. However, “feline intestinal toxoplasmosis is usually asymptomatic”. This means that there are no signs but when there are symptoms it affects the lungs, lymphatic system, eyes, spinal …

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Can cats be vaccinated for toxoplasmosis?

Core vaccinations at animal shelters

No, at the moment, cats cannot be vaccinated for toxoplasmosis. There is a fairly recent study published online on the Science Direct website which provides some insights into the possibilities of a vaccination against this widespread disease. It is entitled, Prospects of toxoplasmosis controlled by cat vaccination (March 2020). I don’t think it’s helpful …

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Pallas’s cats at zoos infected with Toxoplasma gondii

Pallas's cat in Mongolia

Pallas’s cat is sometimes referred to as ‘Pallas cat’. The former name is the accurate one together with Manul. The status of this small wild cat species in captivity was and probably remains precarious. They are considered to be a highly desirable exhibit and sought after by zoos. However, they suffer from a high …

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Australian professor claims that toxoplasmosis from cats causes 200 fatal car accidents annually in Australia

Prof Sarah Legge

Professor Sarah Legge, of the Australian National University and the University of Queensland is the lead scientist of a team who carried out a study on the impact of diseases transmitted from cats to people on the Australian economy. These are zoonotic diseases. I’ve not seen the actual research paper but I don’t think …

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In Korea an outbreak of human toxoplasmosis was caused by ingesting food contaminated with Toxoplasma gondii

Toxoplasma gondii protozoan

This is a recently published study on how prevalent the disease called toxoplasmosis is in Korean cats and dogs. It appears to have been carried out because of an outbreak of human toxoplasmosis which has been put down to eating food contaminated with Toxoplasma gondii. This is the most common way a person is …

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