UW-Madison researchers are on the verge of creating a vaccine that could lead to a reduction in foodborne deaths caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii. People are susceptible to toxoplasmosis after eating insufficiently cooked meat, drinking contaminated water, or coming into contact with cat feces that contain the parasite. Toxoplasmosis typically generates slight flu-like symptoms for those that come into contact with the parasite.
\For the most part you wouldn't notice if you had it or not,"" said Laura Knoll, the lead researcher on the project.
But the parasite is very dangerous for pregnant women and people that have fragile immune systems.
""If a woman is infected with the parasite while pregnant, the parasite can travel through the placenta into the fetus,"" said Knoll.
The immuno-compromised, such as people with AIDS or recent transplant recipients, are also at high risk if they contract toxoplasmosis.
""These people can develop eye problems, encephalitis and pneumonia and eventually [the infection] could lead to death,"" said Dana Mordue, a colleague of Knoll.
This parasite lives either as a dormant cyst or as an actively dividing form inside the brain and smooth muscle tissue of warm-blooded animals. Pigs and sheep are carriers of the dormant cyst while the actively dividing form of the parasite is found in cats. The latter can form into an oocyst that is then passed into a cat's feces.
""These oocysts are stable under any environmental conditions and can live for up to 18 months,"" said Knoll.
Knoll, Mordue and Mary Pat Craver are working on a vaccine that should be made available in the next five or six years.
""We have generated a parasite that is unable to establish into a chronic infection,"" said Mondue. ""This would allow the animals to create an immune response to the parasite to immunize the animals.""
The vaccination would mainly be used on meat animals to prevent them from passing on the parasite, but there is a possibility of future use of the vaccination on humans.
Though the vaccine will not be ready for a few more years, Mordue had a few tips to guard against Toxoplasma gondii.
""First you should not eat any uncooked meat,"" he said, ""though vegetarians are not necessarily safe because wild cats can defecate in a garden and could pass on the parasite, so wash your vegetables. If you have a cat, clean the litter box daily and wash your hands really, really well.\
