A common parasite found in cats and farm animals raises the risk of schizophrenia by 24 percent, according to a U.S. study.
The parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, is commonly found in cat feces and undercooked pork and beef. Most infections occur early in life, but can remain dormant.
This is the first study to suggest infection with the parasite can precede initial schizophrenia symptoms, according to the study published in the January issue of The American Journal of Psychiatry.
Though this is a small study, it represents the progression of understanding schizophrenia, a disease that affects two million people in the U. S.
While I cannot help to wonder why a parasite can cause a mental illness, I am sure the researchers of the study are just as curious. How can a parasite be the root of some cases of schizophrenia? And does this mean the same parasite may have the answers in developing a drug that slows down the progression of the disease?
"Only time will tell," as the old cliche goes, but it's future research that holds such answers.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
How would you rate the biological plausibility of the researchers' assertion? What is the supposed mechanism? That's what I'm left wondering. If the risk was high, there would be a lot more schizophrenic people.
On a local note, UGA boasts a distinguished toxoplasmosis investigator: Boris Streipen.
I should be a freakin' nut case by now. I saw something about this on the news the other day however, and found it surprising. Whether these findings prove true or not, I guess this will give a lot of people one more reason to hate cats. I wonder how many people still believe that cats will suck the breath out of a baby at night....
This reminds me of something I read a long time ago about a link between the Salem Witch trials and a bad fungus in their community flour that caused them to act crazy.
Post a Comment