MOUSE MODELS OF CHRONIC TOXOPLASMA GONDII (T. GONDII) INFECTION: IMPLICATIONS FOR PSYCHIATRIC DISEASE

Toxoplasma;mouse model;schizophrenia;behavior;Neuroscience

Kannan, GeethaYolken, Robert H ;

Johns Hopkins University

关键词: Toxoplasma;    mouse model;    schizophrenia;    behavior;    Neuroscience;   

Others  :  https://jscholarship.library.jhu.edu/bitstream/handle/1774.2/60294/Kannan%20Thesis%20June%202014b.docx?sequence=2&isAllowed=y

瑞士|英语

来源: JOHNS HOPKINS DSpace Repository

【 摘 要 】

Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is a parasitic protozoan that has been implicated in psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. While 33-50% of the world’s human population is infected with the parasite, not everyone with serum antibody levels to T. gondii exhibit psychiatric symptoms. In order to better understand under what conditions infection with T. gondii may lead to symptoms of schizophrenia, we studied the effect of four different infection factors on mouse behavior. Factors studied include: i) T. gondii stains used in infection, ii) sex of the infected host, iii) age at which the host is infected, and iv) T. gondii cyst persistence or immune response to infection. We found that each of these factors can contribute to the development of different behavioral alterations in rodents.