Among the biggest concerns of pregnancy is a very common food contamination: toxoplasmosis.
About half of Italian women face the nine months of waiting with antibodies that defend them from toxoplasmosis, an infection potentially very dangerous for the fetus. But the other non-immune half must comply with certain hygiene and food recommendations to reduce the possibility of contagion.
Enrico Semprini, specialist in gynecology and obstetrics, immunology and infectious diseases, explains: “Toxoplasma is a protozoan that passes through the intestinal barrier and through the blood circulation migrates to the muscles, where it forms cysts. As a result, antibodies (immunoglobulins) are formed in the body that persist and prevent the protozoan from spreading, and normally the infection passes without symptoms.
Women with anti-toxoplasma antibodies are therefore protected from the risk of another infection.
To know if you are immune or at risk of being infected by this protozoan, you must undergo a blood test, the toxo-test, at the beginning of pregnancy. “More than 60% of Italian pregnant women do not have antibodies against toxoplasma,” warns Semprini. “Subsequently, periodic blood samples are essential to check the negativity of the antibodies: their appearance, in fact, indicates that the woman has become infected and antibiotic therapy must be started to reduce the possibility of damage to the fetus. It would be good if the precautions to avoid toxoplasma infection began from the moment the woman tries to become pregnant.”
How it is transmitted
Toxoplasma lives in the intestines of cats and, through their feces, can spread to the soil and pollute plants. Humans can become infected by eating vegetables or the meat of other animals that have become infected by eating vegetables and vegetables.
The risk of taking it directly from the domestic cat is lower (it is mainly wild cats that are affected by acute infection): coat and paws are not a vehicle for contagion, but for cleaning the tray it is good to always use gloves or delegate the task to some other family member. It is also advisable to be careful during gardening, using gloves and washing hands thoroughly at the end of work.
It is estimated that out of about 630,000 pregnancies estimated each year in Italy, about 4,000 incur toxoplasmosis, with 1,600 infected newborns, of which 400 serious. Not all women pass toxoplasma to the baby, but the probability increases as the pregnancy progresses: 15% in the first trimester, 30% in the second, 60% in the third, more than 90% as childbirth approaches. Any damage to the fetus, however, is more serious in the first months of pregnancy, because the protozoan can interfere with the development of tissues: you can have malformations, intellectual deficits, vision problems, even some time after birth. The most frequent event is miscarriage.
How to defend yourself
Cooking destroys toxoplasma. That’s why you have to be careful with salads, vegetables, vegetables and raw meats. It is not necessary to give up fresh vegetables, but they must be washed scrupulously. Baking soda facilitates the elimination of any soil, but has no disinfectant effect.
Enrico Semprini continues: “In the case of meat, a first precaution is to freeze at -20 ° C. Then just cook it at more than 70 ° C. No problem with boiled, braised and boiled.” It is necessary to give up tartare, carpaccio and other raw recipes.
Cooked cured meats (cooked ham, wurstel, mortadella, etc.), are safe, while all fresh ones are at risk, such as sausages, “verzini”, salamelle or cotechino, which therefore must be cooked in water or on the grill. Many gynecologists also prohibit cured meats out of caution.
“Raw fish does not contain toxoplasma cysts, but giving up cooking always involves some risk,” warns Enrico Semprini. “Even a simple food gastroenteritis can become a source of great anxiety, so caution is better.”
Joycelyn Elders is the author and creator of EmpowerEssence, a health and wellness blog. Elders is a respected public health advocate and pediatrician dedicated to promoting general health and well-being.
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