The cat as a possible source of Toxoplasma infection for man

The authors examined 1,027 persons divided into two groups by means of the toxoplasmin skin test. Group I contained 472 persons who owned domestic cats. Of these 255, i.e. 54.0% gave a positive reaction. Group II consisted of 555 persons who did not own cats. Of these 237, i.e. 42.7% reacted positively. A statistically significant difference at the 1% level of significance was assessed between the two groups. A difference of highest diagnostic importance was found in persons of unexposed occupations in the lowest age group, 14-19 years: 39.5% positive reactions among cat owners and 16.1% among those who did not own cats. The results support the assumption on the role played by domestic cats in the epidemiology of toxoplasmosis. An analysis of the ethology of the cat as regards its importance in the spread of Toxoplasma infection is the subject of the present study.