Media attention is sometimes focussed on Toxoplasmosis, a type of coccidia that can cause birth defects in unborn babies. Toxoplasmosis, a disease of cats and other mammalian species, is caused by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii . Protozoa are single-celled animals and though infection with Toxoplasma is fairly common, actual disease caused by the parasite is relatively rare. Toxoplasmosis Cats acquire Toxoplasma infection by ingesting infected prey. The organisms multiply in the wall of the small intestine and produce oocysts, which are then excreted in the faeces for 2-3 weeks.
Most cats shed oocysts only once after infection and are then effectively immune.
Within 5 days the shed oocysts become infectious to other animals and to humans. Some Toxoplasma organisms migrate from the cat's intestine to muscle and brain but usually remain dormant. The same migration can also occur in humans. In humans, toxoplasmosis symptoms may be flu-like, in most cases there are no symptoms. Infection is more serious in individuals with poor immune response.