Monday, February 16, 2026

One in three people carry this brain parasite but the body has a kill switch

A parasite that may already be hiding in your brain has a shocking survival trick: it can infect the very immune cells sent to destroy it. Yet most people never get sick, and new research from UVA Health reveals why. Scientists discovered that when Toxoplasma gondii invades CD8+ T cells — key defenders of the immune system — those cells can trigger a self-destruct mechanism powered by an enzyme called caspase-8. By sacrificing themselves, the infected cells also wipe out the parasite inside them.

from Top Health News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/crJlsMa

No comments:

Post a Comment

Millions of kids take melatonin but doctors are raising red flags

Melatonin is now widely used to help children sleep, but scientists say the enthusiasm may be getting ahead of the evidence. A major review ...