Defense Date

8-9-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

Master of Science

Degree Name

Biological Sciences

First Advisor

Christopher Blanar

Second Advisor

Jonathan Banks

Third Advisor

Omar Eldakar

Keywords

T. gondii, parasite, human behavior, risk assessment, anxiety inventory

Abstract

Toxoplasma gondii is a prevalent parasite that infects about 30% of the world population. House cats and other felids serve as definitive hosts and acquire Toxoplasma by consuming infected prey, which are intermediate hosts. This includes rats and avians, but also large mammals such as wolves and deer. Toxoplasma gondii is known to manipulate prey behavior to enhance its transmission. For example, infected rodents demonstrates attraction to and curiosity around cat urine. Wolves infected with Toxoplasma were 11 times more likely to disperse from their pack and start a new pack. The manipulation of intermediate host behavior observed in rodents raises the possibility that Toxoplasma may similarly affect infected humans, and several studies have begun to explore this theory. There is anecdotal and epidemiological evidence that infected humans may be more likely to engage in risky activities such as participating in thrill-seeking activities, entrepreneurship, and experience increased rates of traffic accidents. This project explored the relationship between Toxoplasma infection, emotional response to aversive stimuli, reported anxiety, and risky behaviors in college-age adults. A total of 316 college-aged adults participated in the study. The Working Memory Delayed Recognition Task with Valanced Distractors and Image Rating Task was used to assess emotional response. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory was used to assess participants’ current state of anxiety and predisposition to have anxiety symptoms. The Risky, Impulsive, & Self-destructive behavior Questionnaire (RISQ) was used to assess the extent to which participants engaged in risky or self-destructive behaviors. Toxoplasma seropositivity was assessed using TOXOPLASMOSE ICT IgG-IgM rapid blood tests. Seropositivity rates were unusually low (2.2%) in the target population. The results were inconclusive, due to the extremely low rate of toxoplasmosis in our sample, and this experiment should be reformed and administered to a known population of individuals with toxoplasmosis.

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