Xiaoying Yang, Yuying Zhou, Shimin Tan, Xiaokang Tian, Xianran Meng, Yiling Li, Beibei Zhou, Guihua Zhao, Xing Ge, Cheng He, Wanpeng Cheng, Yumei Zhang, Kuiyang Zheng, Kun Yin, Yinghua Yu, Wei Pan
Chronic infection with Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) emerges as a risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases in animals and humans. However, the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. We aimed to investigate whether gut microbiota and its metabolites play a role in T. gondii-induced cognitive deficits. We found that T. gondii infection induced cognitive deficits in mice, which was characterized by synaptic ultrastructure impairment and neuroinflammation in the hippocampus. Moreover, the infection led to gut microbiota dysbiosis, barrier integrity impairment, and inflammation in the colon...
April 10, 2024: Brain, Behavior, and Immunity