000761 Undercooked Meat a Threat for Pregnant Women

Eating undercooked, raw or cured meat can cause a common parasitic infection that could lead to severe brain damage in the fetus, according to a study in the British Medical Journal.

Researchers interviewed 252 women who were infected with toxoplasmosis during pregnancy and 858 women who were not. The women came from six European cities and were questioned about their lifestyle and eating habits, including whether they ate raw meat or came into contact with soil or cats.

Toxoplasma has a complex life cycle, says Ruth Gilbert, lead author of the study and a senior lecturer in clinical epidemiology at the Institute of Child Health in London.

The parasite reproduces in cats, and they excrete cysts of the parasite in their feces. Rodents or animals such as cows, deer, pigs, chickens or sheep then ingest the parasite, which can survive for up to a year in the soil. Animals raised outdoors are more likely to be infected, Gilbert says.

The disease is more common than you might think.

About 10% to 20% of people in Britain are infected with toxoplasmosis, Gilbert says. In some European countries such as France, where eating rare meat is common, the infection rate is as high as 55%, the study shows.

The rates in the United States are similar to Britain, says J.P. Dubey, a microbiologist for USDA in Beltsville, Md.

But in people who are healthy, the disease isn't much cause for concern. The infection only rarely causes fever, swollen glands and other flu-like symptoms.

The problem occurs when a woman is infected while pregnant. Less than one in 1000 pregnant women will catch toxoplasmosis during pregnancy in the United States or Britain, Gilbert says.

Of those, one in four will pass the infection to their baby. Of those babies, 2% to 5% will have severe damage to the brain and eyes. About 15% will have minor brain damage or eye problems.

Researchers found 30% to 63% of the infections came from eating raw, undercooked meat or cured meat. Contact with contaminated soil caused 17% of infections and 14% of cases were caused by drinking unpasteurized milk. Traveling outside of the United States, Canada or Britain was also a risk. Contact with cats was not a factor for infection, the study shows.

Women who reported eating raw or undercooked meat were two to three times more likely to be infected with toxoplasmosis during pregnancy than those who did not.

In the United States, it's estimated that 300 to 3,000 children are born infected with toxoplasmosis every year, Dubey says. While he believes Gilbert's study may be biased because it is based on recollections, he notes it raises awareness of the dangers of undercooked meat.

"The message should be that women need to eat meat that is thoroughly cooked, and not taste the meat while it's being cooked," Dubey says. "Wash your hands. Wash the utensils. It's quite a big threat."

In some European countries, women are routinely tested for the infection during pregnancy, Gilbert says. But women in Britain and the United States are not tested because of cost and because research has not shown that the antibiotics used to treat the disease are safe or effective.

What To Do

Pregnant women who eat meat should make sure it's cooked thoroughly, Dubey says. Use a meat thermometer to make sure the center reaches at least 152 degrees Fahrenheit. While it's unlikely your cat could infect you, Dubey says pregnant women should avoid cleaning kitty litter.

You can ask for toxoplasmosis screening, which is done by testing the blood for antibodies, Dubey says.

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