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When the US Department of Agriculture announced last week (April 2) it would end a long-running research program on the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, some lawmakers and others who had decried the program’s use of kittens declared victory. But some parasitologists tell Science that the program’s loss could hobble efforts to reduce T. gondii’s prevalence among both cats and people.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, T. gondii is a leading cause of death due to foodborne disease in the US, and about 40 million people in the country are thought to carry it. The parasite is mainly a concern for people with compromised immune systems and for pregnant women, as it can cause blindness and mental disability in the infants of mothers who were infected during or just before pregnancy. Although T. gondii infects a variety of species, it can only produce infectious ...
