Associations between Toxoplasma gondii infection and steroid hormone levels in spotted hyenas.

ABSTRACT: Toxoplasma gondii is a common parasite that infects warm-blooded animals and influences host physiology. T. gondii is known to target the host's central nervous system, affecting circulating levels of steroid hormones, fear-related behaviors, and health, although these effects appear to vary among host taxa. Here, we investigated the relationship between T. gondii infection and levels of plasma testosterone and cortisol within a wild population of spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta, n = 109). In our analyses, we accounted for age and sex via stratified regression analyses. We detected a negative association between circulating plasma testosterone and T. gondii infection among female cubs and subadults as well as adult male hyenas. We found no associat

SUBMITTER: Laubach ZM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8693151 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature