Guanabenz Reverses a Key Behavioral Change Caused by Latent Toxoplasmosis in Mice by Reducing Neuroinflammation

Abstract

Toxoplasma gondii is a common parasite of animals, including up to one-third of humans. The single-celled parasite persists within hosts for the duration of their life as tissue cysts, giving rise to chronic infection. Latent toxoplasmosis is correlated with neurological dysfunction in humans and results in dramatic behavioral changes in rodents. When infected, mice and rats adapt behaviors that make them more likely to be devoured by cats, the only host that supports the sexual stage of the parasite. In this study, we establish a new mouse model of tissue cyst depletion using a drug called guanabenz and show that it is possible to reverse a key behavior change back to normal in infected animals. We also show that the mechanism appears to have nothing to do with parasite cyst burden but rather the degree of neuroinflammation produced by chronic infection.