Infection Control Today Magazine

Toxoplasmosis

Test Links Strains of Common Parasite to Severe Illness in U.S. Newborns

Pictured at left is a form of toxoplasmosis-causing parasite that can be transmitted through the placenta to a fetus. At right, a Toxoplasma parasites (green) inside a cyst. Image by R. McLeod, University of Chicago. Scientists have identified which strains of the ...More
April 12, 2012
Posted in News
Infectious Parasite Directly Alters Brain Chemistry

A research group from the University of Leeds has shown that infection by the brain parasite Toxoplasma gondii, found in 10 percent to 20 percent of the UK's population, directly affects the production of dopamine, a key chemical messenger in the brain. Their findings are ...More
November 4, 2011
Posted in News, Infections & Pathogens
Researchers Discover How 'Promiscuous' Parasites Hijack Host Immune Cells

Toxoplasma gondii parasites can invade your bloodstream, break into your brain and prompt behavioral changes from recklessness to neuroticism. These highly contagious protozoa infect more than half the world's population, and most people's immune systems never purge the ...More
September 21, 2011
Posted in News, Infections & Pathogens
FDA Clears First Test for Recent Infection with Toxoplasmosis Parasite

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announces that it has cleared the first test to help determine whether a pregnant woman or a person with swollen lymph nodes testing positive for toxoplasmosis, sometimes known as cat scratch disease, developed the infection within the ...More
May 19, 2011
Posted in News
Presence of Protein Antibody Identifies How Parasitic Infection Can Occur

Figuring out how we contracted an illness can help us determine what steps to take next. In the case of infectious disease, epidemiological studies can offer insight into treatment and prevention. Toxoplasmosis, a common parasitic infection, has provided scientists with a ...More
May 13, 2011
Posted in News
How Different Strains of Parasite Infection Affect Behavior Differently

Toxoplasma gondii infects approximately 25 percent of the human population. The protozoan parasite is noted for altering the behavior of infected hosts. Jianchun Xiao and colleagues of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine find clear differences in the manipulation of host ...More
March 21, 2011
Posted in News
Toxoplasmosis: The Strain Explains Infection Severity

Robert Yolken, MD, a neuro-virologist at Johns Hopkins Children's Center, studies the role that common viruses and parasites play in the development of psychiatric disorders. Providing clues into why the severity of a common parasitic infection can vary greatly from person ...More
March 14, 2011
Posted in News