Dr. Francesc March: Ophthalmology Consultant at Otago University on the parasite spread by cats that impacts sight

Ten thousand New Zealanders may have lost vision – sometimes permanently – because of toxoplasmosis, an infection triggered by a parasite spread by cats.

University of Otago researchers estimate 40,000 people are affected by ocular toxoplasmosis – one in four seriously – but their efforts to develop new treatments are being hampered by a lack of funding.

Dr. Francesc March, an Ophthalmology Consultant at Otago University, joined the Afternoons team to discuss.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
You're listening to a podcast from News Talks'd be follow
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Speaker 2 (00:16):
Joining us now is University of a Tiger ophthalmologist, doctor
Francisk March. He is one of the authors of the
study and joins us on the line. Now, very good afternoon, doctor.

Speaker 3 (00:31):
Hello doctor, thank you for joining us. Sorry a little
sneffe with the phone there. What exactly is toxoplasmosis and
how do people typically become infected?

Speaker 4 (00:41):
So it's a parasite that comes mostly from the contact
with the cats, specifically the cats. They have it inside
and they're spreading everywhere through their physis.

Speaker 3 (00:55):
Right, And how common is it? And people aware of
it when they have it?

Speaker 4 (01:01):
There are very good points. He's not common, and we
know that around forty percent of the people of New
Zealand have been in content with the parasite, so we'd
rather common. And we know that as well, most of
the people are having cartinus in a rather common So
both things go together.

Speaker 3 (01:22):
And what symptoms should people look out for? And you
know what that like? What are you what are you
looking out for to see if you've got it?

Speaker 4 (01:30):
Most of the people that they get topples now is
because we say a rather common papers and other people
they will not realize. Sometimes they can have like flu
similar situations but nothing to be especially aware.

Speaker 3 (01:44):
And uh so why is just to get the bottom
of us because a lot of people that have the
symptoms have got it before, you know, like people talk
about getting it being born with that. Why is tox
so it's most is particularly dangerous during pregnancy and what
precautions should pregnant women take?

Speaker 4 (02:01):
Perfect These are very good points, so we know the
pregnant woman can be especially susceptible in them in the
same way, especially with contact with cuts. This is especially
tricky because there's a there are communication between the placenta
and this can affect the children. I went to some
plasma sects newborn. This can be very aggressive and they

(02:26):
can create a lot of trouble.

Speaker 2 (02:28):
Right, so we had a few callers earlier this hour
doctor who said that they got this parasite when they
were still in the womb. Is that is that how
most people get this parasite? Can you get it later
in life? Can it develop when you get a bit
older into adult adulthood.

Speaker 4 (02:46):
Yes, you can get in when your newborn. So the
situation that comes from your mom, but most likely you
will have it from the barmu that the has come
from the contact with the.

Speaker 3 (02:55):
Cuts right right, and the and the parasite is did.
Is that what we're hearing. So when you're when you're
experiencing things with your ritner or troubles at that point,
as the parasite long did and the body is still
react into it for whatever reason.

Speaker 4 (03:11):
Not necessarily. The problem is that the price is the
problem is as difficult to kill the coplasma, and that's
why we have to give treatment for a long time.
And unfortunately we don't have magic solutions. Unfortunately we have
to give a lot of time treatments because we're trying
to have the inflammation and the control. We know that
we can have more than one recurrence of these episodes

(03:32):
of inflammation in the eyes.

Speaker 3 (03:35):
Right, And what about mental health? Because if I've got
this right, part of the life cycle of the parasite,
as you know, gets you know, a rodent will eat
something that gets the parasite and then start doing crazy stuff,
and then the cat will eat the mouse. Is does
that manifest in humans that it affects our mental health

(03:59):
and makes us behave in strange fashions as it appears
to do in mice.

Speaker 4 (04:03):
These is a very interesting research topic and we know,
for example, people have like problems with the monocomprehension, you know,
they monto depressed, they can be very aggressive. But we
think nowadays that they could have some implications maybe with autism,
with other mental issues that we have in the general

(04:23):
community and the general community.

Speaker 2 (04:26):
So doctor, along with your colleague, Professor Bruce Russell, you
have discovered some promising compounds that might help with new treatments.

Speaker 4 (04:36):
Is that right, Yes, that's all right. That's a line
of research that we want to make grow because it
can make a big difference and the way we treat
aqual to plus mosis but in general different problems parasites.

Speaker 2 (04:51):
Yeah, and as it stands, clearly you've made an application
for a research grant, but that has been turned down
at the stage. Is there right, Yes, it's all right, okay.

Speaker 3 (05:00):
So just to finish up, thank you so much for
talking to us today. Well, what are the best ways
for people to protect themselves from and fiction, especially cat owners?
And if someone is worried that they may have been infected,
what would you suggest they do?

Speaker 4 (05:15):
These are very interesting consideration. So the most important is
to be careful with the contact with the cats agin
as well when the way we cook, be careful with that.
And if we are concerned about the situation acutely, just
go to a doctor. We know as well we can
have acual toxoplasmosis on this case aes go to entomologies

(05:36):
and see what we have to do. Sometimes we have
to give to give treatment with antibio pictis sometimes can
be for a few weeks or even months.

Speaker 2 (05:46):
Yeah, very interesting. It's just a question that comes Revira,
a tics machine doctor. See can you please ask if
a cat defecates in your vig garden, should you eat
those vegetables? Are they easy to wash or do you
need to throw them away?

Speaker 4 (06:02):
It's a little bit difficult to know about the situations particularly.
I think that I would just try to be as
careful cleaning every problem we're in contact, because we know
that the feces of the cats are going to be everywhere,
especially going to be the soil, and if we have
to eat something, just be very careful, just be leave
just clinic as much as possible to try to boid
any risk.

Speaker 3 (06:23):
Yeah, all right, well, thank you so much. For your time.

Speaker 2 (06:26):
Yep, all the best with your grant going forward. It
sounds like an important research doctor, so all the best
and hopefully you get the money you need to research
those new compounds. That is doctor Francesca March. He is
an ophthalmology consultant Editorgo University. Very interesting. I mean it
is slightly scary. Yeah, it can happen anytime. Just be

(06:48):
very careful if you're a cat lover owner or you're
around the feces a bit much.

Speaker 3 (06:53):
Yeah, and as I say, if my dog is listening
at home Colin often, let's leave the radio on. Make
sure no cats get into the house. Colin, all right,
get the cats gone? Where the cats?

Speaker 1 (07:01):
Where are the kids?

Speaker 3 (07:02):
Where the cat's gone? He will be if he heard that,
he'll be running down to his dog door and running
out looking for cats.

Speaker 1 (07:07):
He's a good boy. For more from Newstalk st B,
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