Toxoplasma-induced changes in host risk behaviour are independent of parasite-derived AaaH2 tyrosine hydroxylase.

ABSTRACT: Toxoplasma gondii infects a broad range of hosts and can establish chronic infections with the formation of brain cysts. Infected animals show altered risk behaviour which has been suggested to increase capture probability of hosts, and thus enhance parasite transmission. It has been proposed that the ability of Toxoplasma cysts to secrete tyrosine hydroxylase could mediate these behavioural alterations. We tested the involvement of secreted tyrosine hydroxylase, coded by the parasite AaaH2 gene, in the development of alterations in mouse behaviour, by generating an AaaH2 deletion mutant parasite strain and testing its influence on behaviour. We found that both mice infected with wild type or AaaH2 mutant strains showed changes in risk behaviour. We confirmed these findings using factor an

SUBMITTER: Afonso C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5653819 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature