Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite that spreads through cat poop and contaminated food and water, should be taken much more seriously than it currently is, an international team of researchers is arguing.<\/p>\n
In a paper<\/a> published today, the team is calling for the World Health Organization to formally designate T. gondii infection a neglected tropical disease. This infection, known as toxoplasmosis and found in about 1 in every 10 Americans, can wreak all sorts of bodily havoc, including blindness, and may even have the potential to subtly alter people\u2019s personalities. Recognizing T. gondii as a neglected tropical disease would make it easier to study the parasite and bolster prevention efforts in the most vulnerable parts of the world, the researchers say.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we\u2019re seeing is that while there are these improvements occurring in the fight against other neglected tropical diseases, toxoplasmosis is just getting left behind,\u201d senior author Justine Smith, an ophthalmologist at Flinders University in Australia, told Gizmodo.<\/p>\n The toxo problem <\/p>\n T. gondii is a single-celled protozoan parasite with a complex and notorious life cycle<\/a>.<\/p>\n Though its primary host is the cat, the parasite gets there via other intermediate hosts. These secondary hosts are usually rodents, which infect cats when they\u2019re gobbled up for dinner. T. gondii, also nicknamed toxo, can infect practically any other warm-blooded animal, humans included. We usually get toxo from touching infected cat poop, consuming contaminated produce and water, or eating undercooked meat.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Unlike rodents, people are a dead-end host for toxo. Once infected, the parasite will linger in the body for life, usually without serious problems. That said, it can still cause trouble on occasion, according to lead author Jo\u00e3o Furtado, a fellow ophthalmologist and researcher at the University of S\u00e3o Paulo in Brazil.<\/p>\n \u201cMost infections are mild or even unnoticed. However, infection during pregnancy can have severe consequences because the parasite can be transmitted to the fetus,\u201d Furtado told Gizmodo. \u201cCongenital toxoplasmosis can lead to miscarriage, neurological damage, and lifelong visual impairment.\u201d<\/p>\n Even outside of cases spread during pregnancy, the parasite will often migrate to the back of people\u2019s eyes and trigger an inflammation of the retina. This form of the illness, called ocular toxoplasmosis, is a leading cause of retinal infections worldwide. And if not treated early enough, it can cause permanent scarring of the retinas, leading to vision loss.<\/p>\n Toxo is also known for manipulating the behavior of infected rodents, making them bolder and less afraid of cats, which then makes them easier prey. And though it\u2019s still not firmly established, some research has also suggested<\/a> that latent toxo can subtly affect the behavior and personality of other large animals like wolves<\/a> as well as humans<\/a>; it might even raise our risk of schizophrenia<\/a> or brain cancer.<\/a><\/p>\n Why toxo shouldn\u2019t be neglected <\/p>\n According to the researchers, toxo fits all the criteria for a neglected tropical disease set out by the WHO.<\/p>\n \u201cIt disproportionately affects people living in poverty; it carries a substantial burden in tropical and subtropical regions; it is preventable and treatable through public health action; and it receives too little research and policy attention relative to its burden,\u201d said Furtado.<\/p>\n Affixing this label to toxo would help marshal resources toward better understanding it, hopefully leading to new interventions, Smith added.<\/p>\n \u201cThat sort of recognition translates through to researchers being funded to work on things like vaccines, diagnostics, and curative drugs,\u201d she noted. \u201cThere is no commercially available vaccine against toxoplasmosis. And the drugs we give patients can limit a flare-up of the disease, but there is no drug that cures it at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n More funding would also shore up effective prevention measures, like improved sanitation, better food safety, and other initiatives integrated into existing health programs, particularly those targeted toward pregnant women.<\/p>\n The team\u2019s paper was aptly published<\/a> Thursday in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.<\/p>\n Despite the moniker of a tropical disease, toxo can be found just about everywhere. Even in the U.S., roughly 10% of Americans are estimated<\/a> to be living with the parasite. But it\u2019s undoubtedly a bigger problem in some places. In highly endemic areas like Brazil, for instance, toxo might be present<\/a> in up to 80% of the poorest populations. And it\u2019s these communities that need the most help, the researchers say.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Wherever you live, there are steps you can take to lower your risk of toxo exposure.<\/p>\n \u201cThe key message is that toxoplasmosis is common, yet much of its burden is preventable. People should not panic, and cat owners should not blame or abandon their cats. The problem extends beyond cats alone,\u201d Furtado noted. \u201cSimple measures matter: cook meat thoroughly; wash fruits and vegetables; wash hands after handling raw meat, soil, or cat litter; avoid drinking unsafe water; and take extra care during pregnancy.\u201d<\/p>\n At the same time, he adds, we shouldn\u2019t place the entire responsibility for avoiding toxo on individual people alone.<\/p>\n \u201cSafer food systems, clean water, sanitation, prenatal care, access to diagnosis, and timely treatment are collective responsibilities,\u201d he said. \u201cThat is exactly why toxoplasmosis should be viewed not only as an individual infection but also as a neglected public health problem.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite that spreads through cat poop and contaminated food and water, should be taken much…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":892584,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[11],"tags":[210,6454,361832,67,132,68,15711],"class_list":["post-892583","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-health","tag-infectious-diseases","tag-toxoplasma-gondii","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us","tag-vision-loss"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116812764285631090","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/892583","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=892583"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/892583\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/892584"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=892583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=892583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=892583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}