Toxoplasma gondii: The Hidden Link to Behavioral and Mental Health Disorders
Continuing Education Credits
Objectives
- Identify the etiology, epidemiology, and life cycle of Toxoplasma gondii.
- Describe laboratory methods used to diagnose toxoplasmosis in living patients and in postmortem specimens.
- Describe the pathophysiology and clinical manifestations of toxoplasmosis in newborns, immunosuppressed individuals, and immunocompetent individuals.
- Correlate mental and behavioral changes in infected animals with those found in humans.
- Identify various mental disorders associated with toxoplasmosis, including schizophrenia, substance abuse, and others.
- Correlate the neurobiological pathways with various Toxoplasma-induced disorders.
Course Outline
- Introduction to Toxoplasma gondii
- Introduction
- Classification and Anatomy
- Life Cycle and Transmission
- Epidemiology
- Where do the infective sporozoites develop, and in which host does this stage occur exclusively?
- Apicomplexa is a group of parasites possessing organelles such as rhoptries, micronemes, and polar rings. What process do these organelles facilitate in the parasite?
- Diagnosis of Toxoplasmosis
- Serological Testing
- Diagnosis Based on Location in the Body
- Direct Detection of the Parasite
- Other Methods
- What is the most common method for the detection of toxoplasmosis in a live human?
- A patient is being tested for Toxoplasma infection. Serological testing is positive for IgG antibodies but negative for IgM. What is the interpretation of this test result?
- Classical Symptoms of Toxoplasmosis in Humans
- Pathophysiology and Immunology of Toxoplasma
- Symptoms in Healthy Individuals
- Classic Symptoms in Immunosuppressed Patients
- Organs often targeted by Toxoplasma include all of the following except:
- Which of the following are important cytokines the body produces to defend itself against Toxoplasma gondii?
- Toxoplasmosis in Pregnancy
- Background on Congenital Toxoplasmosis
- Symptoms of Congenital Toxoplasmosis
- Testing During Pregnancy
- Which statement is true about fetal toxoplasmosis?
- True or False: Amniocentesis is routinely done on pregnant patients to detect possible fetal toxoplasmosis.
- Background on Neurological and Mental Effects of Toxoplasmosis
- Introduction to Mental and Neurological Disorders Caused by Toxoplasma
- Background and History of Research on Toxoplasma-induced Mental Changes
- The Biology and Physiology of Latent Toxoplasmosis
- Toxoplasma can survive in many organs and muscles; however, it has a particular tropism for which of the following?
- True or False: Toxoplasma cysts are typically seen only in the astrocytes.
- Schizophrenia and Toxoplasmosis Infection
- Schizophrenia: Molecular Pathways
- Schizophrenia: Population Studies
- Which of the following statements is false regarding the correlation of schizophrenia with toxoplasmosis infection?
- Other Neurological, Mental, and Behavioral Changes
- Epilepsy
- Risk Taking Behavior and Entrepreneurship
- Body Mass Index
- Traffic Accidents and Road Rage
- Excessive Ethanol Consumption
- Suicide
- In wolves, Toxoplasma-associated risk-taking behavior may increase the likelihood of becoming a pack leader. What potentially positive outcome has been associated with Toxoplasma-related risk-taking behavior in humans?
- In studies on the association of latent toxoplasmosis and body mass index (BMI), higher BMIs were associated with seroprevalence for T. gondii, and which group of people?
- References
- References
Additional Information
Level of Instruction: Basic
Intended Audience: Medical laboratory scientists, medical laboratory technicians, microbiologists, and laboratory supervisors. This course is also appropriate for MLS and MLT students and pathology residents.
Author Information: Margaret Reinhart, MS, MLS(ASCP), is a Senior Lecturer emerita in Biological Sciences at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, PA, where she taught hematology, clinical immunology, parasitology, and other related courses, as well as directed the MLS program for over 30 years. She is currently an adjunct instructor in Hematology at Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia, PA. She holds a Master's Degree in Biology and in Health Care Administration.
The author has no conflict of interest to disclose.
Reviewer Information: Dr. Julie Ann West is certified by the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) as a Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS) and as a Specialist in Microbiology (SM). In addition, Dr. West has earned a PhD in Public Health (Infectious Disease Epidemiology) and is Certified in Public Health (CPH) by the National Board of Public Health Examiners. Dr. West is experienced as a Technical Specialist, Safety Officer, Educator, and Lead in the Veterans Administration Healthcare System, and has prior experience as an Administrative Laboratory Director.
Course Description: Found worldwide, Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous parasite that typically causes most people no harm—or so we think! Known to have a predilection for the nervous system and to be a danger mainly to pregnant patients' fetuses and to immunocompromised hosts, researchers are beginning to uncover more subtle pathologies associated with Toxoplasma infection. This course will cover the biology and life cycle of Toxoplasma gondii, immunology, prevalence and epidemiology, laboratory testing, and pathology. It will then focus on newer research demonstrating a relationship between Toxoplasma seropositivity and a number of mental changes and disorders, including risk-taking behavior, depression, suicide, substance abuse, and especially schizophrenia.