Toxoplasma infection might trigger neurodegenerative disease.

Infection with the common parasite Toxoplasma gondii promotes accumulation of a neurotransmitter in the brain called glutamate, triggering neurodegenerative diseases in individuals predisposed to such conditions. This is the finding of a new study conducted by researchers from the University of California-Riverside (UC-Riverside), recently published in PLOS Pathogens. T. gondii is a single-celled parasite that can cause a disease known as toxoplasmosis. Infection with the parasite most commonly occurs through eating undercooked, contaminated meat.more