Cat parasite found in western Arctic Beluga deemed infectious

Date:

February 13, 2014

Source:

University of British Columbia

Summary:

Scientists have found for the first time an infectious form of the cat parasite Toxoplasma gondii in western Arctic Beluga, prompting a health advisory to the Inuit people who eat whale meat.

Continued

How Common 'Cat Parasite' Gets Into Human Brain and Influences Human Behavior

Dec. 6, 2012 — Toxoplasma is a common 'cat parasite', and has previously been in the spotlight owing to its observed effect on risk-taking and other human behaviours. To some extent, it has also been associated with mental illness. A study led by researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden now demonstrates for the first time how the parasite enters the brain to influence its host.

"We believe that this knowledge may be important for the further understanding of complex interactions in some major public health issues, that modern science still hasn't been able to explain fully," says Antonio Barragan, researcher at the Center for Infectious Medicine at Karolinska Institutet and the Swedish Institute for Communicable Disease Control. "At the same time, it's important to emphasize that humans have lived with this parasite for many millennia, so today's carriers of Toxoplasma need not be particularly worried."

The current study, which is published in the scientific journal PLoS Pathogens, was led by Dr Barragan and conducted together with researchers at Uppsala University.

Continued:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121206203240.htm

Cat Parasite Linked to Suicide Attempts in Humans

Women infected with the cat parasite Toxoplasma gondii are more likely to attempt suicide than non-infected women, new research finds. The reason for this connection, however, remains mysterious.

T. gondii is a protozoa that prefers to infect cats, but can make its home in any warm-blooded animal. Humans can pick up the parasite from contact with cat feces, or by eating undercooked meat or unwashed vegetables. Once ingested, T. gondii can make a home for itself inside the brain and muscle tissues, protected inside cysts that are resistant to attacks by the host's immune system.

Some studies have linked infection by this parasite with a variety of mental health and brain problems, including schizophrenia, neurosis and brain cancer. But scientists aren't clear on whether the parasite contributes to these problems or is a mere side effect. Someone with schizophrenia, for example, might struggle to keep up good hygiene, meaning the mental disorder could increase the risk for infection.

Read more:  http://www.livescience.com/21345-t-gondii-parasite-suicide-attempts.html

Cat parasite linked to brain cancer

An infectious parasite spread by cats may be a cause of brain cancer in humans, research suggests.


The single-celled organism Toxoplasma gondii infects about a third of the world's population.

Often it causes no symptoms, but the parasite can be fatal to unborn babies and damage the nerve systems of people with weak immune systems.

The new study shows a positive correlation between rates of infection by T. gondii and brain cancer incidence around the world.

Scientists collected global data on brain cancers in men and women and compared them with figures on T. gondii prevalence.

Adjusting for a range of factors that can influence brain cancer statistics, the researchers found that cancer rates went up with greater exposure to the parasite.

Across the range of infection prevalence, from 4% to 67% of the population, T. gondii was associated with a 1.8-fold increase in the risk of brain cancer.

The scientists, led by Frederic Thomas, from the CNRS research institute in Montpellier, France, wrote in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters: "We feel our results are sufficiently strong to propose that T. gondii potentially increases the risk of brain cancer in humans."

Previous research had already linked the parasite to brain tumours in animals.

There is also other evidence that T. gondii has effects on the brain leading to changes in behaviour.


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