Opportunistic etiological agents causing lung infections: emerging need to transform lung-targeted delivery
Online Test Spots Toxoplasmosis, Skips Blood Sample
Most commonly transmitted through cat faeces or contaminated raw meat, the parasite affects around 30 percent of the global population. Credit: PexelsAn international research team has developed an easy online test capable of detecting toxoplasmosis infection without a blood sample, opening the door for a better understanding of how the common parasite affects human behaviour.
Dr Michele Garagnani from the University of Melbourne, Carlos Alós-Ferrer from Lancaster University and Anja Achtziger from Zeppelin University, developed the test which assesses an individual's reaction times to help determine whether they are infected with the protozoan parasite 'Toxoplasma gondii', which causes toxoplasmosis.
Until now, the only way of testing for infection was through a blood or saliva test.
"If you have an RhD negative blood type, an underlying toxoplasmosis infection will worsen your reaction times by less than a second and while this difference is barely noticeable, it is enough for us to assess whether you're likely to be carrying the parasite," Dr Michele Garagnani said.
Most commonly transmitted through cat faeces or contaminated raw meat, the parasite affects around 30 percent of the global population.
Toxoplasmosis doesn't pose an immediate risk for the average healthy person, and many may go through life without realising they're carrying it.
However, previous research suggests for some people, toxoplasmosis infection can cause havoc with dopamine levels, reducing their self-control, making them more impulsive, impatient and more prone to risky decision-making.
"Toxoplasmosis affects our neurochemistry by influencing the regulation of neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, and adrenaline, which are also responsible for regulating behaviour such as fear," Dr Garagnani said.
"When we estimate that toxoplasmosis affects 2.4 billon people worldwide, that's a very large portion of the global economy who are having their decisions at least partially influenced by a parasite."
To confirm the validity of the reaction test as a diagnostic tool, the research team conducted a head-to-head clinical trial comparing their proposed test against the conventional blood test.
Researchers measured the reaction times of 79 participants with an RhD-negative blood type and the results showed their new test had a 97 percent accuracy rate.
"Our reaction test detected a toxoplasmosis infection in 11 out of the 12 participants who were identified as infected by the blood tests," Dr Garagnani said.
The research team then recruited an additional 1,010 individuals with an RhD-negative blood type and they too completed the online reaction times test.
Based on the results, the research team deemed 18 percent of the respondents to be infected with toxoplasmosis.
All the respondents were then asked a series of questions about their life including their employment status and yearly income.
"The survey findings revealed respondents who were deemed infected with toxoplasmosis were 10 percent more likely to be unemployed and earn less income on average than the respondents who were deemed to be non-infected," Dr Garagnani said.
"We also found that those who were deemed infected were more likely to smoke, drink alcohol and experience mental health problems such as anxiety, stress and depression compared to the non-infected participants."
While this new online test doesn't replace a medical diagnosis, it gives researchers an opportunity to properly measure the changes toxoplasmosis infection can have on the population.
"It isn't practical or cost-effective to take enough blood samples to study behavioural effects of toxoplasmosis on a large scale," Dr Garagnani said.
"While there is no known treatment for toxoplasmosis, our new method is an opportunity for the world as a whole to understand how many of us are infected, how it affects our behaviour, and what steps we can take to manage its impact."
This research was published in Acta Psychologica.
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A TB blood test can find out whether you have the Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria in your body. Whether you need to get tested and how often depends on your specific circumstances.
A blood test can check for tuberculosis (TB). If you have a compromised immune system, you may need to have this test periodically, even if you don't have symptoms.
Other factors can also affect whether you'll need to get tested for TB, including your risk of coming into contact with the bacteria and your risk of transmitting the infection if you do contract it.
Read on to learn more about TB, who should get a blood test, and what the test involves.
TB is caused by a type of bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It most commonly affects the lungs but can also affect other areas of your body.
TB of the lungs spreads through the air. If someone who does not have TB spends time around someone who does, they can inhale the bacteria into their lungs. In 2023, 1.25 million people worldwide died from TB, and it's the main cause of death for people with HIV.
While TB is contagious, it is not easily spread from one person to another. You would need to be around someone for a long time for the bacteria to spread from them to you.
About one-quarter of the world's population has the bacteria in their bodies, but it's inactive in most people. In the United States, TB is relatively uncommon and most cases can be successfully treated.
Symptoms of TB in your lungs include:
TB usually affects the lungs but can also infect other parts of your body, such as your lymph nodes, spine, kidneys, or brain.
Having no symptoms does not necessarily mean you don't have TB. You might have latent (inactive) TB. Without treatment, latent TB can lead to active TB. But latent TB is not contagious.
If you think you may have come into contact with TB bacteria, consult a doctor as soon as possible so they can perform a test if necessary.
Blood tests cannot tell you whether the infection is active or inactive — further tests may be necessary to determine this.
If you have symptoms of TB or may have come into contact with the bacteria, it's a good idea to consult a doctor so they can assess you and order a test if needed. There are two types of tests for TB: a blood test and a skin test. The blood test is preferred if you've received the TB vaccine.
If you have a compromised immune system, you may need to get tested for TB periodically even if you do not have symptoms.
You might also need to get tested if you have a higher risk of TB exposure. This may be the case in the following situations:
If you work in healthcare, your employer might require that you get tested for TB, particularly if you're likely to come into contact with the bacteria. Some healthcare professionals, such as pulmonologists and respiratory therapists, may be at greater risk.
TB blood tests are also called interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs). Two tests are currently approved in the United States: QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus) and T-SPOT.TB (T-Spot).
During the TB blood test, a doctor will take a small sample of your blood and mix it with TB proteins. The test will show how much your immune system reacts to the bacteria. It does this by measuring interferon-gamma, a protein that's produced by a type of immune cell called T cells.
You can also get a skin test to check for the bacteria. Your doctor will determine which test you need, depending on your circumstances.
TB is caused by a type of bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Typical symptoms include a bad cough that lasts 3 weeks or longer, chest pain, and coughing up blood or phlegm from your lungs. Even if they do not have symptoms, healthcare professionals who work in high risk areas and people with compromised immune systems may need to get tested for TB.
A TB blood test shows how your immune system reacts to TB bacteria and can determine whether the bacteria are present in your body. You might continue to test positive even after treatment.
A negative blood test means you are not likely to have a TB infection. But your doctor might want to do more tests to confirm that result, especially if you've recently been exposed to the bacteria or if you continue to have symptoms.
New Blood Test Can Tell Bacterial From Viral Respiratory Infections
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A new test could help doctors correctly tell whether a patient's flu-like symptoms of respiratory infection are viral or bacterial in origin, helping to avoid the overprescription of antibiotics in situations where they're not needed.
Gene expression in the blood changes when the immune system is fighting off a bacterial or viral infection. Researchers at Duke University in North Carolina, USA, have identified a group of host gene expression patterns which can identify with 87 percent accuracy whether a respiratory infection is bacterial or viral, and infection or noninfectious.
In a paper published in Science Transitional Medicine, Chris Woods and his colleagues describe how, by looking at blood samples from 273 subjects who presented at hospital with "community-onset acute respiratory infection or noninfectious illness", they were able to develop classifiers to identify the cause of the symptoms.
The accuracy of the new technique improves on the 78 percent accuracy of procalcitonin hormone levels as a marker of bacterial respiratory infections and on the 78 to 83 percent accuracy of three existing genetic classifiers.
The authors write that "these findings create an opportunity to develop and use host gene expression classifiers as diagnostic platforms to combat inappropriate antibiotic use and emerging antibiotic resistance."
The only downside to the technique is that the test currently requires up to ten hours of lab analysis to reach a result. Woods told New Scientist that his team is currently trying to adapt the test into a version that clinics could use get results within an hour.
Increasing levels of antibiotic resistance are linked to overprescription, among other factors, and recent findings show that, in the UK, such overprescription peaks during winter cold-and-flu season, particularly in deprived areas.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
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