New research from Professor Gary Smith, University of Pennsylvania, may contribute to our understandings of biological causes of schizophrenia.

Professor Smith has been embarking on a new study which suggests infection of “Toxoplasma gondii” (T. gondii), a parasite transmitted by soil and undercooked meat, may be a significant risk factor for schizophrenia. T. gondii is surprisingly common and most people suffer no negative effect. However, recent studies have suggested an association with schizophrenia as T. gondii has been found to be associated with changes in behaviour in humans and animals.

It is still unclear how and to what extent T. gondii may contribute to the development of schizophrenia. Professor Smith estimated 21.4% of cases of schizophrenia in the US would not occur if T. gondii was not present, amounting to one fifth of all cases. Other researchers suggest T. gondii is one of many complex causes which interact with each other.

However, as schizophrenia can have a huge effect on quality of life and employment, identifying a significant risk factor of the T. gondii parasite may be a positive step in mental health research. Recent studies have suggested that anti-psychotic medication may treat T. gondii infection and work is also under way to find other effective drugs.

Read full article: http://www.upenn.edu/pennnews/news/epidemiological-study-penn-vet-professor-investigates-parasite-schizophrenia-connection