Toxoplasma has the power to modify its host's brain and behavior, but to what extent this manipulation occurs in humans is still unclear. It may be changing human health and personalities in subtle ways.
The results obtained during the past 15 years strongly suggest that latent toxoplasmosis influences the behavior not only of rodent hosts but also of humans. The neurophysiological mechanisms and practical effects of these behavioral changes, however, are still to be elucidated.
And, a number of studies have detected correlations between the presence of T. gondiii antibodies and behavioral or psychiatric abnormalities. For example, one study found T. gondii infection to be associated with increased aggression in women and increased impulsivity in younger men.
Toxoplasma gondii infection is thought to alter the personalities of infected individuals (whether rats or humans) by increasing risk-taking behaviors.
In addition to serious eye disease, toxoplasmosis can cause severe lung or brain disease for a person with weakened immunity. Rarely, the infection can show up in other tissues throughout the body. Lung infection may cause: Breathing problems.
gondii has been linked to behavioural changes in humans. Toxoplasma infection is classically associated with the frequency of schizophrenia, suicide attempts or "road rage".
The Toxoplasma parasite can persist for long periods of time in the bodies of humans (and other animals), possibly even for a lifetime. Of those who are infected however, very few have symptoms because a healthy person's immune system usually keeps the parasite from causing illness.
In recent years, more and more evidence has shown that latent toxoplasmosis may adversely affect individuals' cognitive function and associate with mental disorders, violence, risk taking, personality changes, and cognitive impairments.
University of Geneva (UNIGE) researchers, Switzerland, show that the parasite is not limited exclusively to ridding mice of this natural predator fear; it alters their overall behavior relating to anxiety, stress and curiosity.
Toxoplasmosis is only one of the putative infectious agents that derange correct brain growth and differentiation, alongside genetic and environmental factors. All of them may lead eventually to schizophrenia.
gondii infection can alter personality and increase the chance of developing schizophrenia and other mental illness. Even without directly infecting the brain, a chronic T.
The clinical manifestations of CNS toxoplasmosis are nonspecific, with the most common presenting symptoms being headache, lethargy, fever, and focal neurologic signs. Chorioretinitis is the most common manifestation of congenital toxoplasmosis, which may also cause seizure, hydrocephalus, and psychomotor delay.
The common presenting symptom of cerebral toxoplasmosis is headache, often accompanied by fever and altered mental status (9). Individuals may also present with visual disturbances, seizures, cranial nerve abnormalities, and sensory disturbances.
Recent studies have revealed that Toxoplasma alters both excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission in the central nervous system and that these changes lead to unbalanced synaptic activity and seizures.
Toxoplasma has the power to modify its host's brain and behavior, but to what extent this manipulation occurs in humans is still unclear. It may be changing human health and personalities in subtle ways.
It is unlikely that you would be exposed to the parasite by touching an infected cat because cats usually do not carry the parasite on their fur. In addition, cats kept indoors (that do not hunt prey or are not fed raw meat) are not likely to be infected with Toxoplasma.
Toxoplasmosis is considered to be a leading cause of death attributed to foodborne illness in the United States. More than 40 million men, women, and children in the U.S. carry the Toxoplasma parasite, but very few have symptoms because the immune system usually keeps the parasite from causing illness.
Subjects with toxoplasmosis had about a 2.5 times higher odds of OCD and about a 2.7 times higher odds of learning disabilities.
Latent toxoplasmosis aggravates anxiety- and depressive-like behaviour and suggest a role of gene-environment interactions in the behavioural response to the parasite. Behav Brain Res.
The parasite is thought to have different, and often opposite effects in men versus women, but both genders appear to develop a form of neuroticism called "guilt proneness." Other studies have also found links between the parasite and schizophrenia. T.
The results showed that toxoplasmosis correlated with stress in men (Tau = 0.179, p = 0.001) but not in women (Tau = -0.028, p = 0.304); no association between toxoplasmosis and anxiety was significant.
The stress coping hypothesis suggests that such behavioral effects of toxoplasmosis are side effects of chronic stress caused by lifelong parasitosis and associated health disorders. Several studies have searched for, and typically found, indices of impaired health in infected subjects.
In addition, Toxoplasma gondii has been associated with autoimmune disease [26]. In this regard, Toxoplasma gondii may be a risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis [27], but a meta-analysis found that the parasite might be protective against multiple sclerosis [3].
In immunocompromised patients such as AIDS, toxoplasmosis almost always happens as a result of reactivation of chronic infection. In these patients, clinical symptoms consist of mental status changes, seizures, sensory abnormalities, cerebellar signs, movement disorders, and neuropsychiatric findings (1).
Toxoplasmosis is caused by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. In the United States it is estimated that 11% of the population 6 years and older have been infected with Toxoplasma. In various places throughout the world, it has been shown that more than 60% of some populations have been infected with Toxoplasma.