The parasitic protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, causing inflammation, can damage the brain in a way that causes an infected person to kill themselves, reports The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
Tests for the presence of Toxoplasma gondii are positive in many people – it is most often the result of eating uncooked meat or contact with cat faeces. This is the case with 10 to 20 percent. Americans. It has been accepted that Toxoplasma remains dormant in the human body and is not harmful.
Meanwhile, a team of Professor Lena Brundin from Michigan State University discovered that this parasite, by causing inflammation in the brain, can lead to the formation of dangerous metabolites and thus increase the risk of suicide attempts.
Earlier reports have already mentioned signs of an inflammatory process in the brains of suicides and people suffering from depression. There were also suggestions that this protozoan may induce suicidal behavior – for example, infected rats searched for the cat themselves. Recent studies have shown that the presence of a protozoan in the body increases the risk of suicide up to seven times.
As Brundin explains, studies do not show that everyone infected will be suicidal, but some people may be particularly susceptible to suicidal behavior. By carrying out tests to detect the parasite, one could predict who is at particular risk.
Brundin has been working on the link between depression and brain inflammation for ten years. In the treatment of depression, so-called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) – like fluoxetine, better known under the trade name Prozac – are usually used. These drugs raise the levels of serotonin in the brain, which should improve your mood. However, they are only effective in half of those suffering from depression.
Brundin’s research shows that the decreased level of serotonin in the brain may not be so much the cause as a symptom of disturbances in its operation. An inflammatory process – such as that caused by a parasite – can cause changes that lead to depression and, in some cases, thoughts of suicide. Perhaps by fighting the parasite it is possible to help at least some potential suicides. (PAP)
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