Researchers urge high officials to roll out measures to better control cat population

Jul 10, 2013 06:47 GMT  ·  By
Researchers warn that parasites found in cat poop threaten public health in the US
   Researchers warn that parasites found in cat poop threaten public health in the US

Cats in the United States might be causing some people to develop schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, rheumatoid arthritis and brain cancer. They might also be the ones to blame for the fact that some kids perform poorly in school.

A new study published in the scientific journal Trends in Parasitology shows that both stray cats and felines kept as pets in said country threaten public health.

This is because their feces carry several parasites that have been documented to affect humans, EurekaAlert explains.

The researchers who took the time to investigate this issue say that, according to their estimates, the cats presently living in the United States deposit some 1.2 million metric tons of feces into the environment on a yearly basis.

This might not be such a problem if it were not for the fact that an infectious parasite known to the scientific community as Toxoplasma gondii feels surprisingly at home in cat poop.

The parasite can affect not just people with compromised immune systems, but also healthy individuals.

It can cause toxoplasmosis [i.e. a parasitic disease that can sometimes lead to brain and eyes damage] epidemics, and several studies have linked it to schizophrenia, rheumatoid arthritis, brain cancer, obsessive-compulsive disorders and poor performances in school.

“The accumulation of Toxoplasma gondii oocysts, found in cat feces, may be a much bigger problem than we realize because of their apparent long life and their association with some diseases,” specialist E. Fuller Torrey, the current director of the Stanley Medical Research Institute wished to emphasize.

The researchers urge that high officials roll out measures to better control cat population as soon as possible.

Since cats become infected with Toxoplasma gondii when feeding on a bird or some other animal that is already carrying this parasite, stray felines are the ones that should be monitored first and foremost.

By the looks of it, cats kept as pets have little chances of getting the parasite and passing it on to their owners as long as they seldom venture outside the house.

Still, it’s best to be cautious when cleaning their litter boxes, and make sure that they do not have access to outdoor sandboxes in which children play.