{"id":6237,"date":"2023-08-03T19:28:47","date_gmt":"2023-08-03T12:28:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=6237"},"modified":"2023-08-03T19:28:47","modified_gmt":"2023-08-03T12:28:47","slug":"toxoplasmosis-infection-from-a-brain-parasite","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=6237","title":{"rendered":"Toxoplasmosis Infection from a Brain Parasite\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Nearly one quarter of Americans have already been infected with the brain parasite toxoplasma.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Toxoplasma <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/24808246\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">is<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> a brain parasite that may infect a million Americans every year, making it \u201ca leading cause of severe foodborne illness in the United States.\u201d Nearly one quarter of adults and adolescents in the United States <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/11495859\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">have<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> already been infected. Newly acquired infections in a pregnant woman can be devastating. In most people with intact immune systems, though, these parasites just <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/25573476\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">sit<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> in your brain in a fine-tuned balance between the parasite and your immune system, just lying in wait, hoping you\u2019ll get sick so your immune system will <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/28191447\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">slip<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, and it can come back raging and spreading throughout the brain. Indeed, the \u201cinfection is lethal in the context of active HIV-AIDS,\u201d for instance.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">But in healthy, non-pregnant individuals, the parasite just sits there with \u201clong-term, potentially lifelong residence in the brains of healthy individuals and animals\u201d\u2014kept at bay by our immune system\u2014\u201cwithout any significant clinical consequence,\u201d and, as such, \u201cchronic toxoplasma infection has been viewed as a benign condition.\u201d Until now, that is. As I discuss in my video <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/toxoplasmosis-a-manipulative-foodborne-brain-parasite\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Toxoplasmosis: A Manipulative Foodborne Brain Parasite<\/span><\/b><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, \u201cThis absence of overt symptomology has <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/28191447\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">contributed<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> to the view that tissue cysts and the bradyzoites they house\u201d\u2014that is, the cysts in the brain formed by the parasites\u2014\u201care dormant entities.\u201d However, recent developments \u201cdirectly challenge the notion that chronic toxoplasma infections are without consequence. An emerging body of evidence suggests that the presence of an established chronic infection may contribute to the pathogenesis [development] of diverse neurological conditions including schizophrenia, epilepsy, and neurodegenerative conditions.\u201d That doesn\u2019t sound good.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">These effects may not be a direct consequence of the parasite, but rather \u201cdriven by persistent low level of inflammation in the infected brain.\u201d Either way, not good. Let\u2019s explore these new data that have gotten neurologists so worried, review strategies on how not to get infected in the first place, and determine what one might be able to do to mediate the effects if you are one of the one in four Americans who is already infected.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Suspicions that infections might play a role in mental health <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/paperspast.natlib.govt.nz\/newspapers\/MEX18961222.2.31\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">date<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> back more than a century. An editorial from an 1896 publication of <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Scientific American<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> asked, \u201cIs insanity due to a microbe?\u201d Well, \u201cfor millions of years, parasites have <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/23225861\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">altered<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> the behaviour of their hosts.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Consider the diabolical effects of the rabies virus, which is \u201cusually <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/25994917\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">transmitted<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> in the saliva by biting animals, so it makes sense that the virus <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">taps<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> specifically into the limbic system of the brain, turning its victims from Fido into Cujo to facilitate transmission of the virus. But brain parasites can do more than just switch behaviors on and off. \u201cSome parasites <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/21554670\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">can<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> adaptively take over and completely <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">control<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> the behavior of their hosts,\u201d like the famous \u201czombie ants.\u201d \u201c\u2018Enslaver\u2019 fungi <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/15792688\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">make<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> their insect hosts die perched in a position that favors the dispersal of [fungal] spores by the wind.\u201d You can see the head of a manipulated ant, colonized by tendrils of the fungus, below and at 3:06 in my <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/toxoplasmosis-a-manipulative-foodborne-brain-parasite\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">video<\/span><\/b><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-94738\" src=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/08\/3-06.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/08\/3-06.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/08\/3-06-960x540.jpg 960w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/08\/3-06-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/08\/3-06-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/08\/3-06-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/08\/3-06-480x270.jpg 480w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/08\/3-06-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/08\/3-06-720x405.jpg 720w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/08\/3-06-540x304.jpg 540w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"\/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cAnts infected by the fungus\u2026<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/19279680\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">die<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> in a dramatic way.\u201d Once the ant is positioned just so, \u201cdying is preceded by biting behaviour where ants clamp onto plant surfaces\u201d to keep it stable while the fungus bursts out of the back of the ant\u2019s head and grows a long stalk, as you can see below and at 3:30 in my <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/toxoplasmosis-a-manipulative-foodborne-brain-parasite\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">video<\/span><\/b><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">.<\/span> <span data-contrast=\"auto\">Can you believe that?!<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-94740\" src=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/08\/3-30.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/08\/3-30.png 1920w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/08\/3-30-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/08\/3-30-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/08\/3-30-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/08\/3-30-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/08\/3-30-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/08\/3-30-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/08\/3-30-720x405.png 720w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/08\/3-30-540x304.png 540w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"\/><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">There are others, too. For example, some aquatic parasites \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/19279680\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">cause<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> various insect hosts (e.g. crickets, ants) to drown themselves so the adult parasite can reproduce in water; parasitoids cause bees to bury themselves alive or spiders to build aerial cocoons so as to protect the developing parasitoid pupa\u2026\u201d Those are parasitic wasps that <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/10917517\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">lay<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> their eggs in the abdomen of spiders. On the night the larva eats its way out\u2014\u201cthe night that it will kill its host\u201d\u2014the larva marionettes the spider to build it a little home. How creepy is that?!<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">These are insects with simple brains, though. Surely, brain parasites couldn\u2019t affect complex behaviors in higher animals, could they? This brings us to toxoplasma.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201c<\/span>Toxoplasma<span data-contrast=\"auto\"> is known to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/23433494\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">manipulate<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> the behavior of their hosts to increase the probability that the host is captured by a predator.\u201d For example, toxoplasma can reproduce in cats, but how is it going to get itself from the brain of an infected mouse into the cat? It can hijack the mouse\u2019s brain and \u201cchange their native, inborn fear of the odor of cats into an attraction to this odor.\u201d The parasite causes the mouse to develop a fatal attraction to cats, which is good for the parasite, not so good for the mouse.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">I know what you\u2019re thinking: What does this have to do with <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">human<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> mental illness? <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">How do I avoid becoming infected in the first place?<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> This video is part of my series on the toxoplasma this parasite. The others are:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"et_social_bottom_trigger\"\/>  <\/div>\n<p><script>\n            !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n            {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n                n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n            if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n            n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n            t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n            s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script',\n                'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n            fbq('init', '1582627921973608');\n            fbq('track', 'PageView');\n        <\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1675549\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nearly one quarter of Americans have already been infected with the brain parasite toxoplasma.\u00a0 Toxoplasma is a brain parasite that may infect a million Americans every year, making it \u201ca leading cause of severe foodborne illness in the United States.\u201d Nearly one quarter of adults and adolescents in the United States have already been infected. &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6238,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6237","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6237"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6237\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6238"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6237"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6237"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6237"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}