A Michael Broad Blog
This is my opinion. I form my opinion from many years of reading these reports. I have noticed a trend: Australian scientists looking for ways to criticise the domestic cat for carrying the zoonotic disease toxoplasmosis. From time to time, Australian scientists like to get together to hatch a plan to denigrate the domestic …
I’ve decided that the zoonotic disease, toxoplasmosis, which often is discussed on the Internet negatively, is a risk management exercise for the pregnant mum. For me, the phrase “risk management” is appropriate in this instance. It’s about identifying and understanding the risk and mitigating the possibilities of infection. There is still some misunderstandings surrounding …
The question is: can cat faeces go into compost? I did some research on the internet some time ago and concluded that it is unwise to use cat faeces in compost. The general consensus is that it shouldn’t be done (click this link for another article on the topic). Although, a strict answer to …
I would like to quickly put the record straight, as I see it, about the news media’s reporting of a link between premenstrual syndrome and toxoplasmosis. The Irish News are reporting on this today although the Mexican University study to which they refer, on this topic, was published online in December 2016. The Irish …
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 …
Cats can be tested for toxoplasmosis. Serologic tests including ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) will show if a cat has been exposed to the disease. A positive test in a healthy cat signifies that the cat has acquired active immunity. Such a cat is not a source of human contamination. For the sake of clarity …
This is a good question that had not occurred to me before I noticed that it is a Google search term. I interpret the question to mean, “Does cat vomit contain toxoplasma oocysts?”. I say this because human infection comes from ingesting T. gondii oocysts. A cat becomes infected with T. gondii in two …
The USDA fed kittens with toxoplasma-infected raw meat to harvest oocysts from them. They then discarded the 2-3 week old kittens by incineration.
