Social interactions of mice with congenital<i>Toxoplasma</i>infection

Arnott, M. A.; Cassella, John; Aitken, P. P.; Hay, John

doi:10.1080/00034983.1990.11812448

Cited by 29 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 25 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…gondii and T. cruzi turn dominant mice into submissive mice (Arnott et al, 1990;Kristennson et al, 2002). This change in hierarchy status was not found in the present experiment.…”

Section: Mating Tests Choice Dominance Status and Weightcontrasting

confidence: 73%

Changes in behavioural and physiological parameters associated with Taenia pisiformis infection in rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) that may improve early detection of sick rabbits

et al. 2011

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

ABSTRACT:The purpose of this experiment was to describe early behavioural responses to illness in rabbits and their relation with physiological changes to improve early detection of infection by Taenia pisiformis in rabbits. Twenty adult female New Zealand rabbits were randomly allocated to 2 groups to determine whether changes in behaviour and some physiological parameters can be induced in rabbits after a T. pisiformis infection. Infected animals were orally inoculated with 3000 eggs of T. pisiformis, while controls received only saline solution. Behavioural activity was recorded daily from 19:00 to 21:00 h starting 2 d before infection. Mate choice and rank status were assessed, and blood samples were collected at −2, 7, 14 and 25 d post infection (dpi) for hematological and hepatic function determinations. All animals were observed for clinical signs every other day from the beginning of the experiment and euthanised 25 dpi after last sampling. Infected animals spent more (P<0.01) time lying stretched (3.78±1.77 vs. 0.77±0.03%) and less (P<0.01) time grooming (1.95±1.31 vs. 2.58±0.10%) and at the watering trough (1.20±1.13 vs. 3.35±0.02%) than controls. These differences were noticeable 6 dpi and remained until the end of the experiment. No changes (P>0.05) were observed in the time spent at the feeder, rank status or mate choice. Leukocyte and lymphocyte concentrations increased (P<0.05), while heterophil counts decreased in infected rabbits as the experiment progressed. Furthermore, infected animals had larger concentrations of alkaline phosphatase as soon as 7 dpi. No clinical signs of the disease were detected. Necropsy fi ndings corroborated hepatic lesions and presence of the parasite in all infected animals. It was concluded that an infection with 3000 eggs of T. pisiformis induced changes in behavioural and physiological parameters that may improve early detection of sick rabbits.

show abstract

“…gondii and T. cruzi turn dominant mice into submissive mice (Arnott et al, 1990;Kristennson et al, 2002). This change in hierarchy status was not found in the present experiment.…”

Section: Mating Tests Choice Dominance Status and Weightcontrasting

confidence: 73%

Changes in behavioural and physiological parameters associated with Taenia pisiformis infection in rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) that may improve early detection of sick rabbits

et al. 2011

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It has been demonstrated that T. gonaVz-infected animals (rodents) are less anxious (Hutchison et al 1980a), less neophobic ), more active (Hutchison, 1980 a;Webster et al 1994) and aggressive (Arnott et al 1990) than the controls. It can be speculated whether the low superego strength, i.e.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Induction of changes in human behaviour by the parasitic protozoanToxoplasma gondii

et al. 1996

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Toxoplasma gondii, the coccidian parasite, is known to induce changes in the behaviour of its intermediate hosts. The high prevalence of this parasite in the human population (20-80%) offers the opportunity of studying the influence of the parasite on human behaviour by screening of a normal population. A total of 224 men and 170 women were tested for toxoplasmosis and their personality profiles were measured by Cattell's questionnaire. Highly significant differences between Toxoplasma-infected and uninfected subjects were observed (P < 0.01). For men the factors G (low superego strength), L (protension), O (guilt proneness), and Q2 (group dependency) were positively influenced in infected subjects. For women the prevailing factors were A (affectothymia, P < 0.01), L (alaxia), O (untroubled adequacy) and Q2 (self-sufficiency). To reveal whether toxoplasmosis induces personality factor-shifts or whether certain combinations of personality factors influence the probability of acquiring Toxoplasma infection, we examined the personality profiles of 164 male patients diagnosed with acute toxoplasmosis during the past 13 years. The existence of a positive correlation between the duration of latent toxoplasmosis and the intensity of superego strength decrease (P < 0.02) suggested that the decrease of superego strength (the willingness to accept group moral standards) was induced by T. gondii infection.

show abstract

“…Chronically infected adult rodents show also show reduced anxiety and risk assessment [25]. Notably, the social withdrawal associated with sickness behavior in most rodents [26] is also not evident in rodents chronically infected with T. gondii [25, 27]. …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many studies have primarily examined the behavioral and pathological effects of congenital infection [27, 28], and few studies have included behavioral assays in multiple behavioral domains. Furthermore, the parasite load, anatomical location of parasite stages and behavioral outcomes change during the course of the infection [29, 30] and interpretations of behavioral outcomes in the acute phase of infection are complicated by the high levels of tachyzoites in critical peripheral tissues, such as muscle, heart and lungs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acquired infection with Toxoplasma gondii in adult mice results in sensorimotor deficits but normal cognitive behavior despite widespread brain pathology

Gulinello

Acquarone

Kim

et al. 2010

Microbes and Infection

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous intracellular parasite which chronically infects 30 to 50% of the human population. While acquired infection is primarily asymptomatic several studies have suggested that such infections may contribute to neurological and psychiatric symptoms. Previous studies in rodents have demonstated that T. gondii infection does not just kill its host, but alters the behavioral repertoire of an infected animal making it more likely that predation with occur completing the parasite life cycle. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the behavioral changes in C57BL/ 6 mice chronically infected with the avirulent T. gondii (ME49, a type II strain), in a comprehensive test battery. Infected mice demonstrated profound and widespread brain pathology, motor coordination and sensory deficits. In contrast, cognitive function, anxiety levels, social behavior and the motivation to explore novel objects were normal. The observed changes in behavior did not represent "gross" brain damage or dysfunction and were not due to targeted destruction of specific areas of the brain. Such changes point out the subtle interaction of this parasite with its intermediate hosts and are consistent with ideas about increased predation being an outcome of infection.

show abstract

Social interactions of mice with congenitalToxoplasmainfection

Cited by 29 publications

References 25 publications

Changes in behavioural and physiological parameters associated with Taenia pisiformis infection in rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) that may improve early detection of sick rabbits

Changes in behavioural and physiological parameters associated with Taenia pisiformis infection in rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) that may improve early detection of sick rabbits

Induction of changes in human behaviour by the parasitic protozoanToxoplasma gondii

Acquired infection with Toxoplasma gondii in adult mice results in sensorimotor deficits but normal cognitive behavior despite widespread brain pathology

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About