Toxoplasma gondiiis a bewitching parasite renowned for its chilling power to change the behavior of its innkeeper . Rodents infected with this being lose their inbuilt veneration of cat pee , making them an effortless dinner party for hungry felines . But despite a corking deal of interest in this parasite , how it reach this singular mind manipulation has remained a whodunit .
A few years back , scientists offer a piece to this intriguing puzzle with the discovery that the being is able toalter the product of dopaminein the brain , a primal chemical messenger involved in movement , cognition and behaviour . Now , scientists may have found another clue after identifying previously unsung alterations occurring within a particular type of mentality cubicle that could play a role in the parasites ’ power to affect behavior in rodents and humans . The subject has been publish inPLOS ONE .
T. gondiican infectany warm - blooded beast , although it is well have it away for its intriguing behavioural effects on rodents , which are believed to be an adjustment aimed at increasing its transmission to cats — the only host within which the organism can sexually regurgitate . study in rats and mouse have shown that individuals infected withT. gondiireact slower , move around more and are impaired in their ability to learn young affair . Furthermore , they lose their born concern of cat pee and even become draw in it . All in all , this makes for a very comfortable quarry subject .
This parasite is also extremely common in humans , infect around one - third of those rest in developed Carry Amelia Moore Nation . If our immune systems are not compromise by anything , such asHIV or genus Cancer drugs , it is usually forced to retreat into a dormant state , encased in hard cysts that ca n’t be removed . But before this happens , it infects and spark off a character of star - shaped wit cell called an astrocyte . These make up around 90 % of tissue paper in some brain areas and are acknowledge to do a diversity ofcritical functions , such as aid mind prison cell communication , repair and resistant responses .
Since bailiwick have advise that contagion with sure pathogens can alter astrocyte function , scientists fromIndiana Universitywondered whetherT. gondiicould also trigger change in these cells . To find out more , the scientists audit proteins found in astrocyte obtained from dirty dog brains for deduct which unity possessed a corpuscle called acetyl . Many proteins are modify by the increase of acetyl radical , a appendage known as acetylation , which can alter their function or emplacement .
In uninfected cells , they found a aggregate of 529 acetylation sites in 304 different protein , which were found to be involve in things like metamorphosis . Within septic astrocytes , however , they notice 34 proteins that exhibited significantly increased acetylation , and a further 24 with decreased acetylation when compared with clean cells .
Although scientists are n’t sure of the accurate impacts of these changes , they believe the findings could help further our noesis of how the parasite affect behaviour in both rodents and humans . Some studies have suggest thatT. gondiiinfection canalter human behavior , and these changes appear to vary between the sexes . For example , septic women were found to be less suspicious , but the antonym was see in men . However , these subject area arecorrelative , whereas studies in rodents are much more rich .
