When a healthy adult contracts toxoplasmosis for the first time, the symptoms vary from non-existent to fatigue and flu-like symptoms. Most infections go un-noticed and un-diagnosed, and once infected, a healthy adult becomes " immune" in a sense. However, if a pregnant mother becomes infected with Toxoplasma during pregnancy (NOT BEFORE), the unborn baby may develop birth defects such as blindness and brain damage. Immuno-suppressed individuals, like AIDS patients and organ transplant recipients are also at risk.

It is important to note that the disease is only dangerous to a fetus if the mother has never contracted toxoplasmosis before, then becomes infected while pregnant. Some figures estimate that more than one-third of the U.S. population has been exposed to the disease already, and may not have even been aware that they were infected. If a pregnant woman does become infected she will likely be referred to an expert in infectious diseases for antibiotic treatment, but the case is very delicate because of the harm that could be done to the fetus.

The positive side is that transfer of the disease to humans can be avoided with some simple precautions:

- It takes 24 hours AFTER the cat has defecated for the parasite in the cat feces to become infective and dangerous. Therefore if you faithfully clean the litterbox daily, the feces will not have time to become dangerous before they are removed. Humans also need to practice good hygiene and wash after cleaning the litterbox. For pregnant women or immunosupressed individuals, better safe than sorry-just avoid cleaning the box altogether.

- Another precautionary measure is to keep children's sandboxes covered to prevent cats from soiling in them. Cats also defecate in gardens, so wearing gloves when working in the garden and washing items picked from the garden are other ways to avoid contracting the disease.

- Finally, avoid eating the undercooked meat from food animals like beef, pork and lamb. Always wash your hands and utensils after handling raw meat.

So don't be afraid to have a cat! If you are immuno-supressed or are a woman planning to become pregnant, you can have your cat's blood tested to see if it is a carrier of the organism. Additionally, your physician will probably recommend that you yourself have a blood test to see if you have already been exposed to toxoplasma. If so, you needn't worry about infecting your unborn baby. Only women infected by the parasite for the first time while pregnant need to be concerned.