Cats tied to risk of psychosis: Aussie study
Young people with Toxoplasma gondii antibodies face a threefold risk of developing psychosis, say Orygen researchers
Having a family moggy may raise the chances that a young person already at ultra-high risk of schizophrenia will develop psychosis, Australian researchers report.
Those who had been exposed to Toxoplasma gondii faced a 3.5-fold increased risk of transition to psychosis, shows a small study by researchers from Melbourne-based Orygen .
Young people who developed psychosis had significantly higher antibody levels for T. gondii compared with those who did not develop psychosis, they found.
The team studied 96 people aged 15-30 who were clients of an Orygen clinic and who met ultra-high-risk criteria of developing schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders.
