Common Parasite May Trigger Suicide Attempts: T. Gondii Produces Brain-Damaging Metabolites

[xchrom]

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120816170400.htm

Common Parasite May Trigger Suicide Attempts: Inflammation from T. Gondii Produces Brain-Damaging Metabolites

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The Toxoplasma gondii parasite has been linked to inflammation in the brain, damaging cells. (Credit: Image courtesy of Michigan State University)

ScienceDaily (Aug. 16, 2012) — A parasite thought to be harmless and found in many people may actually be causing subtle changes in the brain, leading to suicide attempts.

New research appearing in the August issue of The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry adds to the growing work linking an infection caused by the Toxoplasma gondii parasite to suicide attempts. Michigan State University's Lena Brundin was one of the lead researchers on the team.

About 10-20 percent of people in the United States have Toxoplasma gondii, or T. gondii, in their bodies, but in most it was thought to lie dormant, said Brundin, an associate professor of experimental psychiatry in MSU's College of Human Medicine. In fact, it appears the parasite can cause inflammation over time, which produces harmful metabolites that can damage brain cells.

"Previous research has found signs of inflammation in the brains of suicide victims and people battling depression, and there also are previous reports linking Toxoplasma gondii to suicide attempts," she said. "In our study we found that if you are positive for the parasite, you are seven times more likely to attempt suicide."

[kestrel91316]

1. Well, wash your hands after cleaning the litter box and

before preparing or eating food, and refrain from eating incompletely cooked meat or feeding it to your cat, and you pretty much don't have to worry about Toxo.

BTW, there is no statistical correlation between contact with cats and acquiring Toxo in the US, so the incompletely cooked meat thing is most important.