Toxoplasmosis-Schizophrenia Research

(last updated April 2, 2009)

Welcome to the Toxo–Schizophrenia Research section. This site is maintained by the Stanley Medical Research Institute (SMRI), and the Stanley Laboratory of Developmental Neurovirology, for SMRI-funded and other researchers interested in the possible etiological relationship between Toxoplasma gondii (and related organisms) and schizophrenia (and related psychoses). The purpose of the webpage is to make information on this line of research, including background data and current research, easily available.

This section will be updated periodically. Comments, suggestions, additions, and corrections are welcomed. They can be sent to either E. Fuller Torrey, M.D. or Robert H. Yolken, M.D. .

Related sites:

www.toxodb.org/toxo                 This site provides detailed information on the genome of            

                                               Toxoplasma gondii.

www.schizophreniaforum.org     This is a useful online forum to keep updated on schizophrenia      

                                                research.

 Introduction

SMRI has undertaken extensive research on infectious agents as one of the possible causes of schizophrenia. Among the infectious agents that appear most promising is Toxoplasma gondii, a protozoan parasite that causes toxoplasmosis and is carried by cats and other felines. Until recently, toxoplasmosis was thought to be a problem only for pregnant women who, if they become infected with T. gondii during their pregnancy, risk having the organism cause damage to the growing fetus. This is why pregnant women are advised to not change the litter in the cat litter box. Infections of children or adults by T. gondii were thought to be either asymptomatic or to cause an influenza-like or mononucleosis-like syndrome. It now seems possible that T. gondii may be associated with schizophrenia and perhaps other psychiatric syndromes.

Schizophrenia is a brain disease that begins in young adults, typically between the ages of 16 and 30, and is characterized by some combination of auditory hallucinations (hearing voices), delusions, flattened affect, disordered thought patterns, bizarre behavior, and social withdrawal. Schizophrenia affects approximately 1 percent of the adult population and in most cases is a lifelong disease with remissions and exacerbations. It is also a very expensive disease. Conservative estimates place the cost of schizophrenia in the United States at approximately $40 billion, including $10 billion in federal disability (SSI and SSDI) costs.

For additional information on schizophrenia, see Torrey EF, Surviving Schizophrenia, 5th edition (New York, HarperCollins, 2006) and the following websites:

www.schizophrenia.com

www.mentalhealth.com

www.chovil.com