Toxoplasma gondii News and Research

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Parasite infection discovery could help develop treatments for neurological disorders

New research into how a common parasite infection alters human behavior could help development of treatments for schizophrenia and other neurological disorders.

16 Nov 2020

Virginia Tech doctoral candidate wins NIH award to fuse immunology and neuroscience research

Gabriela Carrillo didn't always aspire to be a neuroscientist. It wasn't until she was providing in-home behavioral analysis therapy for children with autism that she was drawn to the lab.

22 Oct 2020

Researchers create multi-functional nano-vaccine to prevent toxoplasmosis

Fighting clever parasites requires smart vaccines that can trigger critical immune responses. A University of Chicago-based research team has found a novel way to do that.

14 Oct 2020

Molecular stilts help deadly parasites to invade host cells

In biological terms, gliding refers to the type of movement during which a cell moves along a surface without changing its shape. This form of movement is unique to parasites from the phylum Apicomplexa, such as Plasmodium and Toxoplasma.

13 Oct 2020

Discovery could have important implications for brain infections, neurodegenerative diseases

More than 30 million Americans are infected with a brain parasite spread by cats and contaminated meat, but most will never show symptoms.

31 Jul 2020

Study could help develop new drugs for toxoplasma infection

Researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine have discovered new information about how a dangerous parasite takes control of a patient's cells as it spreads throughout their body, an important finding that could help in the development of new drugs to treat this infection.

17 Jul 2020

A lead compound can significantly reduce or eliminate toxoplasmosis and malaria

Toxoplasma gondii infection is one of the most frequent parasitic infections of humans. This parasite is present in the brain of an estimated two billion people--about 40 percent of all humans on earth. It is endemic throughout the world, causing water and food-borne epidemics that result in toxoplasmosis.

10 Jun 2020

Study shows how Toxoplasma infection causes seizures, psychiatric illness for some

Think about traffic flow in a city - there are stop signs, one-way streets, and traffic lights to organize movement across a widespread network. Now, imagine what would happen if you removed some of the traffic signals.

2 Apr 2020

T. gondii parasite employs a sophisticated manipulation to suppress host's immune response

Toxoplasma gondii is best known as the parasite that may lurk in a cat's litter box. Nearly a third of the world's population is believed to live with a chronic Toxoplasma infection.

24 Jan 2020

Brain parasite makes rodents unafraid of cats, other predators

Cats have the power to control the minds of rodents, through a brain parasite called Toxoplasma gondii. The pathogen exerts a strange mind control on rodents that make them lose their fear of cats and become easier to catch.

15 Jan 2020

Prompt treatment can lead to improved outcomes for babies with hydrocephalus caused by toxoplasmosis

Babies born with toxoplasmosis, which is caused by a congenital parasitic infection, can develop hydrocephalus, a condition where excess fluid creates damaging pressure in the brain.

4 Oct 2019

House mouse shapes Toxoplasma gondii populations around the world

The humble house mouse has dramatically shaped parasitic Toxoplasma gondii populations in West Africa and around the world, according to research in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

From PLOS ONE 12 Jul 2019

Comprehensive gene activity database could significantly reduce animal use

A comprehensive database of gene activity in mice across ten disease models, which could significantly reduce animal use worldwide, has been developed by scientists at the Francis Crick Institute, which gives a full picture of the immune response to different pathogens.

29 Jun 2019

Dangerous brain parasite invades host cell, maintains steady nutrient supply

A team of researchers has found that a dangerous type of parasite that affects the brain, maintains a stable supply of essential nutrients as it replicates in the host cell. In an unexpected turn of events, the body itself delivers food to the harmful predator.

20 Jun 2019

Research finds link between Toxoplasma gondii and lung cancer

Toxoplasma gondii, a microscopic parasite that gets inside our cells, is present in about 10% of the population in the UK.

30 May 2019

Gruesome cat and dog experiments by the USDA exposed

A shocking new report from a nonprofit organization called The White Coat Waste Project published this week found that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been conducting some abhorrent and bizarre experiments with cats and dogs.

21 Mar 2019

New AI-driven platform analyze how pathogens infect human cells

Researchers have developed a new AI-driven platform that can analyze how pathogens infect our cells with the precision of a trained biologist.

13 Feb 2019

Targeting thymidylate biosynthesis in kinetoplastid and apicomplexan protozoans

Kinetoplastid and apicomplexan parasites include protozoans which are responsible for human diseases, and cause a serious impact on human health and the socioeconomic growth of developing countries. Chemotherapy is the main option to control these pathogenic organisms.

27 Dec 2018

Novel finger-prick test can help prevent toxoplasmosis

A recent study, performed in Chicago and Rabat, Morocco, found that a novel finger-prick test for infection with the parasite Toxoplasma gondii during pregnancy - and many other potential applications - is 100 percent sensitive and 100 percent specific for detecting the presence of this life-damaging microorganism.

17 Aug 2018

New study finds key factors behind differences in immune responses

Age, sex, and specific human genetic variants are the key factors behind differences between immune responses among healthy humans, finds a study of 1,000 individuals carried out by EPFL and the Pasteur Institute.

6 Aug 2018