Lto Toxoplasmosis has always represented a threat, especially for women pregnant women, who to avoid infection often stay away from raw meat and fish, and vegetables that are not well washed. And also from the cat, especially if the feline often leaves the house. But a recent study has highlighted the possibility that this infection can even curiously modify behavior.
What is Toxoplasmosis
As described byHigher Institute of Health“toxoplasmosis is a zoonosis (infections or diseases transmitted directly or indirectly between animals and humans) caused by Toxoplasma gondii, a microorganism that completes its life cycle, extremely complex and different depending on the host, only inside the cells.
The parasite can infect many animals (from mammals to birds, from reptiles to molluscs) and can spread from one animal to another through feeding on infected meat. Toxoplasma condii is not only found in meat, but even in cat feces And in the ground in which he defecated an infected cat or other animal.”
Known symptoms
At the time of infection, most people are asymptomatic or have only nonspecific symptoms: you have a effective immune response, antibodies are produced, and the infection becomes “quiescent” (in a state of inertia). Initially the symptoms may be confused with the flu. “In Toxoplasma gondii infection it is possible to distinguish two successive phases: the first (primary toxoplasmosis) is characterized by a period of weeks or months in which the parasite can be found in the blood and lymph nodes in a directly infectious form. It is the symptomatic phase of toxoplasmosis, which is accompanied by enlargement of the lymph glands, tiredness, heachache, sore throat, feeling of “broken bones”, sometimes fever and enlargement of the liver and spleen,” explains the ISS.
The most serious symptoms of toxoplasmosis
“There are also cases of primary toxoplasmosis complicated by serious symptoms, such as inflammation of the visual area of the eye (chorioretinitis, which can impair vision) and the brainas well as symptoms attributable to one autoimmune disease. The latter eventuality is frequent in AIDS patients or in transplanted subjectsfor which the evolution is often dramatic, because the response to therapy is insufficient”, adds the Istituto Superiore di Sanità.
Toxoplasmosis numbers
According to what was reported by MSD Manualhuman exposure to toxoplasmosis is frequent wherever cats are found. It is estimated that approximately 11% of residents ≥ 6 years in the United States is HIV positive, which indicates that they have been infected. Is that more than 60% of some populations in other regions have been infected (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Epidemiology & Risk Factors)”.
Who risks more
“The risk of developing serious disease is very low except for the fetus and for those who are or become severely immunocompromised with AIDS or other illnesses. Those who contract toxoplasmosis remain protected throughout their lives from relapses, because they respond to the infection with the production of antibodies and specific lymphocytes2, we read in the MSD Manual.
The new study on the effects of Toxoplasmosis and the incredible discovery
A recent study published in PubMed It is on Journal Français d’Ophtalmologie has highlighted a possible, to say the least, surprising effect of Toxoplasma gondii infection. Among the various consequences of the disease, in fact, the researchers observed a increased nervousness and impulsive behavior, episodes of anger while driving. But that is not all.
The Toxoplasma gondii it was already known to change the behavior of its intermediate hosts, such as mice, making them more fearless and more attracted to the smell of cat urine, thus increasing the risk of predation. In wolves, however, the probability of becoming pack leader would increase. But nothing was known about what it can cause in human behavior.
What PubMed says about the effects of Toxoplasmosis
According to what was published on PubMedthe largest and most prestigious bibliographic database for biomedical literature research, “almost a third of the planet’s population is affected by Toxoplasma gondii infection. In ophthalmology, toxoplasmosis is even considered the most common cause of posterior uveitis of infectious origin. Humans are only an intermediate host and the Toxoplasma gondii needs to infect cats for its sexual reproduction.
All elements that increase the risk of predation by the definitive host are therefore favorable to the parasite. Numerous experimental studies on animal models have demonstrated that T. gondii infection is associated with risky predatory behavior such as attracting infected mice to cat urine.
Behavioral changes in humans too
Parasitic infection is associated with a demethylation of the promoters of some genes in the brain amygdala of intermediate hosts, modifying the dopaminergic circuits associated with fear. Likewise, T. gondii was linked to behavioral changes in humans.
Schizophrenia and “road rage”
Toxoplasma infection is classically associated with the frequency of schizophreniaof the suicide attempts or of “road rage”. A more recent study shows that the prevalence of toxoplasma infection was a consistent and positive predictor of entrepreneurial activity.
Greater resourcefulness
There fear of failure would be less important in infected individuals, who are more willing than others to start their own business. These elements shed an interesting light on behaviors and their possible relationship with toxoplasmosis, generally considered benign in adults.” (Source: PubMed pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32248961/).
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