Neuropathogenesis of Chronic Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Immunocompetant Hosts

Dear Colleagues,

Toxoplasma gondii is a significant parasitic infection of the brain with approximately one-third of the world’s population chronically infected, where the parasite persists in cysts in neurons. While most immunocompetent hosts with chronic infection remain asymptomatic, the chronic infection is also associated with neuropsychiatric illnesses including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, suicidal tendencies, anxiety, and cognitive decline in the elderly. Collectively, these findings indicate that chronic T. gondii infection increases the risk of developing a range of psychiatric illnesses. The underlying mechanisms are not understood, but T. gondii infection has been shown to induce neuroinflammation, induce neuronal loss, disturb neural circuits, and disrupt neurotransmitter pathways. Many questions need to be addressed to advance our understanding of T. gondii in psychiatric disorders. Additionally, the bradyzoite stage of T. gondii in neurons and the mechanisms underlying the persistence of the encysted bradyzoites remain poorly understood aspects of the parasite life cycle. A better understanding of bradyzoites, their impact on neuronal dysfunction, and the host/parasite interactions of bradyzoites in neurons, may yield insights into the neuropathogenesis of chronic toxoplasmosis and its impact on brain disorders.

We welcome all research and review papers on the neuropathogenesis of chronic toxoplasmosis in immunocompetent hosts and its impact on brain disorders. We are also interested in articles on the behavioral effects of T. gondii in other intermediate hosts.

Dr. Sandra Halonen
Prof. Dr. Robert H. Yolken
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Life is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.