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Cleaning a cat's litter box can be annoying. And it might actually pose a health risk. The reason is a microscopic organism called Toxoplasma gondii. This protozoan has been linked in humans to congenital birth defects and nervous system damage. There’s evidence that it’s also tied to an increased risk for psychiatric illnesses, rheumatoid arthritis and other conditions.
打扫猫咪的便池很烦人。同时也可能危害健康。原因在于一种叫做刚地弓形虫的微生物。这种原生动物已证明与人类先天性出生缺陷和神经系统损害有关。有证据显示它也会增加精神疾病，风湿性关节炎以及其他疾病的患病风险。
It reproduces in cats, which shed parasites in their feces. These oocysts can then be picked up by birds, mice or people.
它在猫体内繁殖，虫卵随猫的粪便排出体外。然后这些卵囊会进入鸟类，老鼠或者人类体内。
Cats produce 1.2 million metric tons of waste outdoors each year in the U.S. And about 1 percent of cats are likely shedding Toxo at any given time.
在美国，每年猫能在户外产生120万吨的粪便。在特定时间，有大约1%的猫会排出弓形虫。
Backyard surveys have found up to 400 Toxo oocysts per square foot. They can survive for more than a year and a half in the soil. And just one—which can be accidentally inhaled or ingested—could start an infection. These stats are in a report in the journal Trends in Parasitology.
对后院的调查发现，每平方英尺的土地上大约有400个弓形虫卵囊。它们能在土壤中存活一年半的时间。不经意间的吸入或者摄食，哪怕只是一个，都会引起感染。这些数据发表在寄生虫学趋势杂志的一份报告里。
Indoor-only cats are less likely to pick up the parasite. Nevertheless, best to be cautious when around the garden box, sandbox and litter box.
只在室内活动的猫不太可能感染寄生虫。不过，当你在路过花池，沙池和动物便池的时候还是小心点。
–Katherine Harmon
