Banked blood shows cat parasite infection precedes schizophrenia onset
Here’s the latest and strongest of the provocative links between toxoplasmosis and behavior change: A case-control study using blood samples taken routinely from members of the U.S. military has shown a strong (P = 0.01) association between Toxoplasma gondii infection and the onset of schizophrenia within six months.
Antibodies to the parasite carried by pet cats were associated with a 26% increase in schizophrenia risk, according to the team from the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.
This new study strengthens earlier evidence of an association, because of its large numbers and the use of blood samples drawn before diagnosis as well as after.
After using SearchMedica to locate a provocative study, turn to the categories to help decide what you should do next.
Patient Education Materials
What can you say to patients newly concerned about cats? You can use this category to find answers. Try the query Toxoplasma cats, and read the information for pregnant women and HIV patients. (See what the Mayo Clinic article has to say about working in the garden.)
Practical Articles & News
Inform patients that this is not really new, and for now has few practical implications. In this category you’ll find an article suggesting that the cause could just as easily be something caught in preschool, or even something Mom caught. Another reviews the long history of links between infection and mental disorders.
Posted by Cranky Aged Mama
