Sources of occupational infection include contact with infected raw meat, infected animals or contact with contaminated cat feces. Laboratory personnel who have handled contaminated needles or glassware have also contracted toxoplasmosis.
How can we prevent toxoplasmosis? Specific Precautions
Animal Care Workers and Zoo Attendants
Remove all feline feces daily. Dried litter should be disposed of without shaking. Flush feces down the toilet, carefully bag them for disposal, burn them or bury them deeply. Disinfect litter pans daily by scalding. Wear disposable gloves when handling litter boxes or working in soil or sand that is possibly contaminated with cat feces. Wash hands after removing gloves.
House all members of the cat family in a separate room or building to prevent infecting other animals. Autoclave or heat to 70C (for at least 10 minutes) any brooms, shovels and other equipment that have been used to clean cat cages or enclosures.
Do not feed cats raw meat. If this is not possible, feed meat that has been previously frozen as it is less likely to be infected than fresh meat. Where practical use and store equipment and tools for cleaning up cat feces in the area where cats are housed.
Slaughterhouse Workers, Meat Inspectors, Line Processors, Butchers, Cooks and Others Contacting Raw Meat
Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water. Do not touch mouth and eyes when handling raw meat. Wash all cutting boards, knives, sink tops and other materials that come into contact with raw meat with soap and water. Control roaches or other insects that can come into contact with food or areas where food is prepared. They may transfer oocysts to uncovered food.
Agricultural Workers
Soil can be a source of transmission particularly if it is used by cats. Wash hands after working in the soil or after contacting animals. Confirm the cause of abortion in animals. Send the placenta, fetus and blood samples to a laboratory to confirm the presence of Toxoplasma gondii. Do not handle fetal membranes and dead fetuses with bare hands. Fetal material that is not sent to the laboratory should be buried or incinerated. Remove placentas and aborted material from access by cats or rodents as a potential source of further infection. Do not allow cats access to stored feed.
Remove all cat feces from feed. Keep only adult barn cats by spaying females and driving new cats away. Adult cats are likely to have acquired resistance and are thus unlikely to shed oocysts in their feces.
Landscapers and Gardener
Wear gloves to avoid exposure to Toxoplasma gondii when contacting soil contaminated with infected cat feces. Wash hands after removing gloves.
Laboratory Workers
Pregnant women should be discouraged from working with Toxoplasma spp.
Protective clothing should be worn by workers exposed to contaminated materials. Contaminated clothing should be labelled with a biohazard warning and washed using laundry procedures for disinfection.
Production and exposure to aerosols from animal tissues should be minimized.
Acceptable laboratory techniques as outlined in "Laboratory Biosafety Guidelines" should be used. "Laboratory Biosafety Guidelines" and other biosafety references are listed the Information Resources & Referrals Section of the OSH Answers web site.
Health Care Workers
Transmission of the disease from contaminated human urine and feces has not been proven. As a precaution, always wear disposable gloves when handling patients who have poor bowel control.
Wash hands and nails thoroughly with soap and water after removing gloves.
General precautions
Pregnant women should avoid cleaning litter pans and contact with cats of unknown feeding history.
Wear gloves when gardening or cleaning litter boxes.
Feed pet cats only dry, canned or cooked food. Try to keep pet cats indoors to discourage scavenging for food.
Eat meat that has been thoroughly smoked, cured or cooked.
Wash fruit and vegetables before eating.
Do not eat raw eggs.
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