Toxoplasmosis: The Cat Poop Parasite That's Probably in Your Brain

If you're a crazy cat person (or just one of those weird, "Aww, you're cute, now leave me alone," people), you have likely contracted a parasite and you didn't even notice it. In fact, an estimated 40 to 60 million people in the US alone and more than two billion people world-wide are believed to be infected. The parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, is usually transmitted through raw meat containing  T. gondii cysts, or water containing oocysts from feline feces — cat poo. The disease it causes, toxoplasmosis, can be very dangerous.  Let's look at what this dastardly parasite is and how it affects both humans and our feline friends.

The lifecycle of T. gondii, or Toxoplasma, occurs in two types of hosts — a primary host and an intermediate host. The main host are members of the family Felidae, which includes domestic cats and their relatives. 

In the primary host, the parasite reproduces sexually and hatches tiny little eggs known as oocysts, which are shed in the cat's feces. These contaminate plants and water and are then ingested by animals in the wild, such as birds and rodents. These are the intermediate hosts.

Leave a Comment