Many parasites induce specific changes in host behavior that promote the transmission of their infective stages between hosts. Toxoplasmosis in rodents is known to be accompanied by specific behavioral changes (shift in activity level, learning capacity, and novelty discrimination) that can theoretically increase the chance of infected animals being eaten by the definitive host, the cat. However, toxoplasmosis is also accompanied by many pathological symptoms. It is not known whether the behavioral changes are products of manipulation activity of the parasite or only nonspecific by-products of pathological symptoms of toxoplasmosis. Here, we compared the dynamics of development of behavioral and pathological changes in Toxoplasma gondii-infected mice. The results showed that the maximum reduction of mouse activity corresponded with the peak of pathological symptoms, and also that maximum increase of reaction times corresponded with the peak of development of tissue cysts in the brains of infected mice. Behavioral changes were only transient and disappeared before the 12th wk postinoculation. The results suggest that the behavioral changes in infected mice reported by many authors and observed in our experiments could be nonspecific by-products of pathological symptoms of toxoplasmosis rather than specific products of manipulation activity by the parasite.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
August 2000
BEHAVIOR|
August 01 2000
TRANSIENT NATURE OF TOXOPLASMA GONDII-INDUCED BEHAVIORAL CHANGES IN MICE
Štěpánka Hrdá;
Štěpánka Hrdá
Department of Parasitology, Charles University, Viničná 7, 12844 Prague 2, Czech Republic
Search for other works by this author on:
Jan Votýpka;
Jan Votýpka
Department of Parasitology, Charles University, Viničná 7, 12844 Prague 2, Czech Republic
Search for other works by this author on:
Petr Kodym;
Petr Kodym
Department of Parasitology, Charles University, Viničná 7, 12844 Prague 2, Czech Republic
*National Diagnostic Laboratory for Toxoplasmosis, National Institutes of Public Health, Šrobárova 48, 10042 Prague 10, Czech Republic.
Search for other works by this author on:
Jaroslav Flegr
Jaroslav Flegr
Department of Parasitology, Charles University, Viničná 7, 12844 Prague 2, Czech Republic
†Corresponding author. Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Sciences, Viničná 7, 128 44, Prague 2, Czech Republic.
Search for other works by this author on:
J Parasitol (2000) 86 (4): 657–663.
Citation
Štěpánka Hrdá, Jan Votýpka, Petr Kodym, Jaroslav Flegr; TRANSIENT NATURE OF TOXOPLASMA GONDII-INDUCED BEHAVIORAL CHANGES IN MICE. J Parasitol 1 August 2000; 86 (4): 657–663. doi: https://doi.org/10.1645/0022-3395(2000)086[0657:TNOTGI]2.0.CO;2
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Client Account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Could not validate captcha. Please try again.
Sign in via your Institution
Sign in via your InstitutionCiting articles via
SPATIAL VARIATION IN HELMINTH PARASITE COMMUNITIES OF THE FRENCH GRUNT, HAEMULON FLAVOLINEATUM (TELEOSTEI: HAEMULIDAE), FROM THE YUCATAN PENINSULA
S. Guillén-Hernández, A. Canto, H. Villegas-Hernández, C. González-Salas, G. Poot-López, J. F. Espínola-Novelo, H. Pérez-España
PALEOPARASITOLOGY OF HUMAN ACANTHOCEPHALAN INFECTION: A REVIEW AND NEW CASE FROM BONNEVILLE ESTATES ROCKSHELTER, NEVADA, U.S.A.
Katelyn McDonough, Taryn Johnson, Ted Goebel, Karl Reinhard, Marion Coe
RANGE EXPANSION OF GREEN TREEFROGS (HYLA CINEREA) IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS: NO EVIDENCE OF PARASITE RELEASE
Dale D. Edwards, Owen M. Edwards
DESCRIPTION, BIOLOGY, AND MEDICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF LEISHMANIA (MUNDINIA) CHANCEI N. SP. (KINETOPLASTEA: TRYPANOSOMATIDAE) FROM GHANA AND LEISHMANIA (MUNDINIA) PROCAVIENSIS N. SP. (KINETOPLASTEA: TRYPANOSOMATIDAE) FROM NAMIBIA
Godwin Kwakye-Nuako, Mba-Tihssommah Mosore, Daniel Boakye, Paul A. Bates