Now in our 13th year of bringing you beautiful imagery from biomedical science every day

Search the archive of over 4000 images

Brain Bug

Effects of brain-infecting toxoplasmosis parasite provides clues to treating other neurological diseases

07 December 2020

Brain Bug

Toxoplasma gondii parasites (pictured) can infect most warm-blooded animals, including humans, but their main hosts are cats. The bugs sexually reproduce in felines and their offspring (oocysts) are dispersed via the animals’ faeces. Humans can become infected if they accidentally ingest the parasite, for example by consuming contaminated water or plants, or not washing their hands thoroughly after cleaning a litter box. In most cases, infected people don't show symptoms and live unaffected by the dormant parasite. But when symptoms are present they tend to be neurological in nature. Indeed toxoplasmosis can cause confusion, seizures, headaches and inflammation in the brain. Because these symptoms are observed in other neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease researchers hope that studying the effects of T. gondii on the brain will provide insights into a variety of neurological pathologies, not just toxoplasmosis, and may offer clues on how to treat them.

Written by Ruth Williams

Search The Archive

Submit An Image

Follow on Tumblr

Follow on Instagram

What is BPoD?

BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

Read More

BPoD is also available in Catalan at www.bpod.cat with translations by the University of Valencia.