ITN - t. gondii - In the news assignment PDF

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Otutochukwu Nwagbata Dr. Mark Farmer ITN - Flegr and his cat October 13, 2018 Article 1 Fond, G., Capdevielle, D., Macgregor, A., Attal, J., Larue, A., Brittner, M., Ducasse, D., & Boulenger, J. (2013). Toxoplasma gondii: A potential role in the genesis of psychiatric disorders. Encephale Revue de Psychiatrie, 39(1): 38-43. Toxoplasma gondii is one of the most common protozoan in developed nations. Almost one third of the human population and up to 43% of the French population may be infected with t. gondii. Two types of the obsessive compulsion infection have been described, the congenital form and the acquired form. Because, in most cases, t. gondii is latent and asymptomatic it is treated as clinically unimportant. Cats are t. gondii’s natural reservoir. Rats which are preys to cats naturally have an aversion to cat’s urine, but the parasite suppresses this aversion. Thus, these neurochemical changes in rat’s mental and motor abilities may also be a possibility in humans.

Article 2 Innes, E. (2010). A Brief History and Overview of Toxoplasma gondii. Zoonoses and public health, 57(1): 1-7. T. gondii was discovered by scientists in North Africa and Brazil about hundred years ago. It has been found to infect warm-blooded animals including humans. Its pathogenic potential was recognized in 1920s and 1930s. it emerged as a major cause of death in patients with AIDs. Thus, it illustrates the importance of immune system in helping to control t. gondii. In 1960, it was discovered that cats were definitive host for t. gondii, and this discovery helped to explain t. gondii’s life cycle. T. gondii shed in the feces of cats and from there it transferred to other animals.

News post: Read this before blaming road rage on your cat. Article by Karin Brulliard. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2016/03/30/read-this-before-blamingroad-rage-on-your-cat/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.1c29dd0b7da4t T. gondii reproduces only on cat intestines and is spread via feline feces. Studies have linked infection to psychiatric disorders, but a study, published in PLoSOne, found little evidence of links between t. gondii and schizophrenia, suicidal behavior, criminality or effects on memory. Although Flegar sounds crazy, his hypothesis might be true. Rats have similar physiology to humans, and there is a likelihood of t. gondii affecting humans’ neurons. Furthermore, science always tend to recognize people’s achievements after they’re dead, so maybe in the near future evidence of neurons and motor functions association with t. gondii will come to light....