Toxoplasmosis News and Research

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Toxoplasmosis is considered to be the third leading cause of death attributed to foodborne illness in the United States. More than 60 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. However, women newly infected with Toxoplasma during pregnancy and anyone with a compromised immune system should be aware that toxoplasmosis can have severe consequences for them.

New category of immunotherapy appears safe to use in patients with both cancer and HIV

A new category of immunotherapies called checkpoint inhibitors that has been highly effective against many different cancers appears safe to use in patients with both advanced malignancies and HIV, a population excluded from earlier trials of such therapies, according to an early-phase trial.

7 Nov 2017

Researchers identify connections between toxoplasmosis and several brain disorders

More than 2 billion people – nearly one out of every three humans on earth, including about 60 million people in the United States – have a lifelong infection with the brain-dwelling parasite Toxoplasma gondii.

14 Sep 2017

Binding Site launches new antigens and antibodies for infectious/contagious diseases

The Immunologicals Group of The Binding Site is pleased to announce the launch of a number of new monoclonal antibodies and recombinant antigens focused on a variety of infectious/contagious disease states – including Cytomegalovirus (CMV), Hepatitis, HIV, Rubella, Syphilis, and Toxoplasmosis.

From Binding Site 29 Jul 2017

Study estimates disease burden of congenital toxoplasmosis in Denmark

Congenital toxoplasmosis - an infection passed on from mother to fetus - has a high disease burden per case. However, only a relatively small number of cases occur each year in Denmark.

10 Jul 2017

Study uncovers potential new therapeutic targets for HCV infections

An international study led by researchers at Monash University' Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI) has shone light on the way the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) hijacks the communication systems in the host cells it infects, uncovering potential new therapeutic targets for the disease.

8 May 2017

Parasite's biological clock could help improve treatments for deadly sleeping sickness

The parasite that causes deadly sleeping sickness has its own biological clock that makes it more vulnerable to medications during the afternoon, according to international research that may help improve treatments for one of Africa's most lethal diseases.

24 Mar 2017

Scientists develop new molecular method for detecting parasite in ham that causes toxoplasmosis

Scientists from the universities of Granada and Valencia have developed a new molecular method for determining the presence of the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which causes toxoplasmosis, in samples of ham.

7 Nov 2016

Study provides important insights into impact of late HIV testing

An estimated 1.2 million people live with HIV in the United States, with nearly 13 percent being unaware of their infection.

7 Oct 2016

First case-control study examines link between microcephaly and in utero Zika virus infection

The relation between Zika virus and microcephaly is widely assumed to be causal because of strong evidence of an association. However, evidence so far comes from case reports, case series, modelling studies, and preliminary reports from cohort studies – none of which have included appropriate control groups.

21 Sep 2016

Malformations in the brains of fetuses caused by Zika virus go beyond microcephaly

A recent study published by Brazilian researchers from the D'Or Institute for Research and Education, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Institute for Research Professor Amorim Neto, alongside Tel Aviv University and the Boston Children's Hospital in the US, indicates that microcephaly, a very usual feature in cases of Zika virus gestational infection, is just one of several observed brain changes.

24 Aug 2016

GW researchers identify new way to regulate chronic toxoplasmosis

New research critical to treatment for chronic toxoplasmosis, one of the most common parasitic diseases worldwide, was published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.

2 Aug 2016

Griffith researchers create Malaria Box to advance drug discovery for major topical diseases

Griffith University tropical disease researchers have joined together with a host of international laboratories to advance drug discovery for major topical diseases through the creation and testing of the Malaria Box.

2 Aug 2016

Findings offer renewed hope for speedy development curative medicines for people with toxoplasmosis

In the July 14 edition of Scientific Reports (Nature), 39 researchers from 14 leading institutions in the United States, United Kingdom and France suggest novel approaches that could hasten the development of better medications for people suffering from toxoplasmosis.

17 Jul 2016

Preventing zoonotic diseases from pets to people: an interview with Dr Monique Éloit, OIE Director General

Zoonotic diseases are diseases or infections which are naturally transmissible from animals to humans, as defined in the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code.

13 Jul 2016

Study explores anti-Toxoplasma effects of estragole and thymol compounds

The Journal of Parasitology – Many people carry a single-celled parasite known as Toxoplasma gondii but never feel its effects.

22 Jun 2016

GMU’s early-detection urine test works for Lyme disease, study shows

After three years and 300 patients, George Mason University researchers have proof that their early-detection urine test for Lyme disease works.

21 May 2016

Candida yeast infections more common in men with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder

In a study prompted in part by suggestions from people with mental illness, Johns Hopkins researchers found that a history of Candida yeast infections was more common in a group of men with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder than in those without these disorders, and that women with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder who tested positive for Candida performed worse on a standard memory test than women with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder who had no evidence of past infection.

4 May 2016

Common parasitic infection linked to intermittent explosive disorder

In recent years, a common parasitic infection - as many as a third of the world's population may have it - has been linked to a range of psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, as well as behavioral dysregulation such as suicide attempts and car accidents.

24 Mar 2016

Toxoplasmosis infection may be linked to rage disorder

A new study has shown that people who have a psychiatric condition called intermittent explosive disorder (IED) are twice as likely to have been exposed to toxoplasma gondii, the parasite found in cat feces and undercooked meat.