Common parasite found in cat litter may increase suicide risk

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/07/03/common-parasite-may-increase-suicide-risk/

Common parasite found in cat litter may increase suicide risk
By Susan E. Matthews
Published July 03, 2012
MyHealthNewsDaily

Women infected with a common parasite called toxoplasma gondii may be more likely to attempt suicide, a new study suggests.

Researchers looked at the health records of more than 45,000 Danish women and concluded that over a 14-year period, women with toxoplasmosis, as infections with the parasite are called, were 53 percent more likely to attempt suicide than their uninfected counterparts. The likelihood of making a suicide attempt increased with the levels of parasite-fighting antibodies, suggesting that the stronger the infection, the larger the risk, the researchers said...

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Common parasite found in cat litter may increase suicide risk

Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/s...suicidal-thoughts-and-risktaking-8390165.html


Cat parasite toxoplasma uses 'Trojan horse' to infect human brain and may cause suicidal thoughts and risk-taking

Toxoplasma able to pass from the gut into the central nervous system, says report
Steve Connor Author
Friday 07 December 2012

A food-borne parasite that infects domestic cats can get inside the human brain by commandeering special cells of the immune system which it uses as a Trojan horse to enter the central nervous system, a study has found.

Scientists believe they have finally discovered the mechanism that allows Toxoplasma gondii ? a single-celled parasite ? to pass from the human gut to the brain where it may cause behavioural changes.

Researchers have shown that the parasite can infect the dendritic white blood cells of the immune system causing them to secrete a chemical neurotransmitter that allows the infected cells, and the parasite, to cross the natural barrier protecting the brain...