December 2, 2016.
Toxoplasmosis is an infectious disease caused by a parasite. A parasite often transmitted by cats and which acts in a rather curious way on our metabolism.
A disease that is not trivial
In France, nearly 45% of adults have already been infected during childhood or adolescence by toxoplasm, a parasite that causes toxoplasmosis. Every year, 200,000 to 300,000 new cases are diagnosed. These affected patients do not experience any symptoms and, once infected, they remain so for the rest of their lives. On the other hand, in immunocompromised people, this disease can cause serious problems.
According to Chris Tonkin, a researcher at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research, Australia, “ there is a fascinating association between Toxoplasma infection and psychiatric illnesses, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder “. If this link is not yet fully established, health authorities warn of the risks of this disease : epileptic seizures and difficulty performing certain movements, or even paralysis of certain parts of the body.
A manipulative parasite
Some researchers even put forward the idea that toxoplasmosis would have an ability to manipulate our immune response. ” The parasite redefines the inflammatory response of the host », Explains Matthew Bowler, researcher at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory. ” It completely subverts the chain reaction that would normally trigger our body’s defenses. “
When cells detect toxoplasma, the parasite activates the inflammatory reaction of our metabolism and cannot turn it off, which is why the disease can be so dangerous in people with weakened immune defenses. All of this work can be found on the site sciencealert.com.
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