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Dirt cat may have the potential to cause illness in seals and humans. A young cat can shed up to 100 million oocysts.
Oocyst is little egg-like structures in feces. Just needed one oocyst to cause infection of Toxoplasma gondii.
Most parasites in humans are asymptomatic, but can sometimes cause problems for infants born to infected mothers. Disorders in newborns may include hearing loss, mental disability and blindness.
People with weak immune systems, especially for people who have HIV / AIDS, may also develop serious complications.
Researchers are trying to understand why marine mammals in the Pacific Northwest started dying of protozoal diseases began in 2000. Prior to 2000, no cases were documented.
"But samples from the Pacific Northwest have found a rate of about 4 percent of protozoal disease among stranded animals," said Michael Grigg, a researcher at the National Institutes of Health as reported from CNNHealthNews.
Grigg and other experts have been discussing the issue at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Vancouver.
Toxoplasma gondii oocysts from cats can get into the ocean through the storm. After that, get into mussels and other bivalves that eventually are eaten by seals. Humans who eat raw shellfish may also be at risk.
style="text-align: justify;">"Up to 25 percent of Americans are infected with toxoplasmosis, and in some parts of Europe as much as 50 percent. Humans carry it throughout their lives. It is not known why there are more people who
have an infection in Europe, although the habit of eating raw meat or fish can be a factor. The parasite strains also exist in nature Guyana and Suriname are deadly to humans, "said Grigg.
Over the past few years, scientists have been investigating new forms of Toxoplasma gondii called the Type X.
The mode was first found in seals, and it is a combination of the type II strain and a unique strain of the parasite. It is unclear whether the Type X is more serious than Type II, but Type X represents about 40 percent of infections.
"In some cases where Type X is found in humans is quite problematic. Toxoplasma gondii oocysts can not be destroyed with ultraviolet light or chlorine bleach, only freezing or boiling can kill the oocysts," said Grigg.
For example, there was a large outbreak in 1995 in Victoria, British Columbia, perhaps because the city water system uses unfiltered water.
Not all cats have toxoplasmosis, but most infected. Cats simply removing oocysts when he was young.
"If 10 percent of the 86 million cats as pets owned in the United States are infected, the number is still far from little parasite that infects the egg. That does not mean should not eat shellfish at all. But it should be more attention to the place of origin of the shells," said Melissa Miller of the Marine Wildlife Veterinary Care and Research Center, California.
But there may be a problem with raw or undercooked foods of all kinds, including shellfish. Research on the Toxoplasma gondii vaccine for cats is ongoing.
Meanwhile, it can take some precautions to prevent the parasite from cat feces that may pollute the water.
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