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Original poster

Toxoplasmosis worry

12 replies

beko83 · 22/04/2017 17:04

Hiya,
Just wanted some advice. Maybe reassurance.

I went to the farm with my nephew two weeks ago. There was a large shed with baby lambs in it and they were letting children feed them.

My friend took her little one and my nephew up to the feeding bit and helped him.

I just watched then took his hand and we went for lunch. I wiped his and my own hands with baby wipes before eating.

I then walked around the rest of the farm. We washed our hands in the hand washing facilities before leaving.

We got back to the car and I took his shoes off and put them in the footwell and carried them in my house afterwards... I didn't wash my hands afterwards.

2 days later I was reading bounty magazine that they give u at booking in and read a whole section about lambs and euws and toxoplasmosis and got really worried but decided risk was low and to mention it to midwife at 12 week scan.

Now I have coldy symptoms and I am getting paranoid. I'd never have gone to the farm if id heard of that.

I'm currently 10 and half weeks.

OP posts:
Bluebellwoods123 · 22/04/2017 20:12

You can ask for a blood test to find out if you have had toxoplasmosis before and then you are, I think, immune. It's apparently quite hard to catch and it's not that common in sheep. I asked for the blood test as I keep sheep who have lambed this year and I have worked with commercial flocks of sheep in the past and I have not had toxoplasmosis in the past so another family member has had to look after my sheep during this years lambing. My understanding is the risk is very low after the lambs are a few days old and they've been licked clean by the ewe and there's no afterbirth etc present.
Boots, coats etc that have been worn to look after the sheep have all been near mine and I've not been worried about it as the risk is very very low. But do ask for the blood test if you want, I'm really glad I did.

allegretto · 22/04/2017 20:16

The risk is really low (and not just toxoplasmosis but other infections) see here:
www.nhs.uk/chq/pages/934.aspx?CategoryID=54

But you should probably get the blood test to put your mind at risk. To put it into perspective, when I was pregnant my cat died with complications from toxoplasmosis Shock but I didn't contract it.

Bumplovin · 22/04/2017 20:27

I stupidly didn't realise pastrami was a cured meat abd craved pastrami sandwiches daily for the entire first trimester. Even tho the gp said the risk was small because I'd had a cold he did a blood test for toxoplasmosis and it came back negative. Please see your gp a blood test is easy to arrange and will put your mind at ease my gp told me the risk was small but when I said the anxiety over it was bad he did the test no problem. Try not to worry toxoplasmosis is not that common even tho it's scary xx

Original poster
beko83 · 23/04/2017 08:41

Thanks for your advice ladies I will definitely ask for blood tests to ease my mind. Xx

OP posts:
Emma2803 · 23/04/2017 08:52

I hope you get the all clear op. I actually thought it was just newborn lambs and any of the birthing fluids /placenta or pregnant ewes that you had to avoid, I must read that wee link above.

PastysPrincess · 23/04/2017 08:55

I spoke to my cats vet about this as I had been told about the risks by my midwife. Vet said that when she had her first child

PastysPrincess · 23/04/2017 08:57

Sorry posted too soon.

When vet had her first child she was sent for testing due to her occupation. Test came back negative; so although there is a risk its very small if even a vet hasn't had it in all ages her years of working with all varieties of animals.

Apachepony · 23/04/2017 09:00

Every year of my life until I was 25 I spent lambing sheep. I didn't catch toxoplasmosis- I know this because I did catch it during my pregnancy many years later so obviously wasn't immune (sigh....) from this I can conclude it's highly unlikely you caught it from your one time on the farm. But no problem asking for a blood test to put your mind at rest!

Autumnsweater · 23/04/2017 09:04

Another vet here (and my cat sleeps practically on my face as well Grin), I asked for the test due to my occupation at my routine booking-in appt bloods and they just ran it as an extra on the panel so no need to take extra blood even! I also tested negative patsy. I read your risk is actually higher for those who garden without gloves on and obviously eating raw meat too. I think your main risk is from the actual lambing bit (IE placenta etc) and from the poo. Sounds like you were careful with hand washing and didn't actually touch that much so you're still really low risk. Just ask them to run the bloods to put your mind at rest.

Dani00 · 23/04/2017 09:51

Hello, my partner is a farmer and before I found out I was pregnant I was helping him with lambing , I was actually in the sheds with brand new lambs being born and holding and feeding them and stuff. As you can imagine I was so worried about it when I found out I was pregnant so I just asked for a blood test and it came back negative , I'm sure yours will too, the risk is very low apparently X

ighinici · 23/04/2017 11:42

from ruminants, you can only get toxoplasmosis if you eat them raw. so the only risk - and it's a tiny, tiny one - would be the soil.

about your cold symptoms, i'm willing to bet it's just that - a cold. it's the season and your immune system is working at a really low speed during pregnancy, so you're likely to catch colds a bit more easily.

so don't stress about it, what you need is some nice tea with honey and lemon.

Dani00 · 23/04/2017 11:52

Sorry if this is repeated but not sure if my previous post worked! My farmer is a partner and before I knew I was pregnant I was lambing with him, right in the sheds with all the new born lambs , feeding them when they were still wet etc. As you can imagine I was really worried so I just asked the midwife if I could have a toxoplasmosis blood done alongside my others, it came back negative and I'm sure yours will too X

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