First of all, we tell all women that there is a background risk for having a baby with a birth defect of 4-5% (everyone’s risk).
Toxoplasmosis is caused by infection with the toxoplasma gondii, a protozoan parasite. Its estimated that 50% of people acquire infection of toxoplasma gondii through ingestion of raw, contaminated, or undercooked meat, especially pork or lamb and another 50% through direct exposure to feces of an infected cat or inadvertent ingestion of contaminated soil through gardening or improperly washed vegetables.
In pregnancy, the concern for toxoplasmosis infection is with primary infection during pregnancy only; therefore, pregnant women who have had an infection prior to pregnancy would not be at an increased risk from another exposure. One prospective study suggested that 22% to 35% of all women who contract the infection during pregnancy might give birth to affected offspring. This means that an infection in pregnancy would be a high risk to the infant.
Good hygiene practices are the best defenses against toxoplasmosis during pregnancy or anytime. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends:
Do not eat raw or undercooked meat. Meat should be cooked to a temperature of at least 160°F for 20 minutes.
Do not drink unpasteurized milk.
Do not eat unwashed fruits and vegetables.
Wash hands and food preparation surfaces with warm soapy water after
handling raw meat.
Wear gloves when gardening. Wash hands after gardening.
Wash hands before eating (especially for children).
Keep children's sandboxes covered.
Do not drink water from the environment unless it is boiled.
Do not feed raw meat or undercooked meat to cats. Also, do not give them unpasteurized milk.
Do not allow cats to hunt or roam.
Do not allow cats to use a garden or children's play area as their litter box.
Remove feces from the litter box daily and clean with boiling or scalding water.
Pregnant women, and persons with suppressed immune systems, should not clean the litter box.
Control rodent populations and other potential intermediate hosts.
As mentioned above, thoroughly washing fruits and vegetables would likely prevent toxoplasmosis, even in a garden thats used as a litter box. This would be the primary measure to prevent exposure. A secondary precaution would be to not allow the cat to use the garden as a litter box.
If you have additional questions and you live in California, we encourage you to call us at 800-532-3749 to receive a more complete response to your concerns. If you live in the U.S. but not California, please call 866-626-6847.