Mitigating the threat of toxoplasmosis this winter

  • CATS SPENDING MORE TIME indoors during the winter can increase toxoplasmosis threat to humans. Photo courtesy of Michael Miller/Texas A&M AgriLife
    CATS SPENDING MORE TIME indoors during the winter can increase toxoplasmosis threat to humans. Photo courtesy of Michael Miller/Texas A&M AgriLife

    As temperatures drop, outdoor cats may spend more time indoors, which calls for attention to a health threat -- Toxoplasma gondii, T. gondii, also known as the “cat parasite.”

    This infectious agent infects over 40 million people in the U.S.

    The parasites reproduce exclusively within cats. However, any warm-blooded animal, including humans, is susceptible to the parasite and can develop an infection …