Science digest

During the infection in the cat the parasite undergoes a series of complex transformations resulting in oocysts that are stable to many environmental conditions and chemical disinfectants. To test the hypothesis that linoleic acid is the factor for hosting the development of T. gondii the authors inhibited delta-6desaturase in mouse intestine tissue culture and subsequently in live mice (nick-named 'catty mice'), which resulted in the sexual stages of T. gondii developing and the mice remained infective for up to three months. A 46 year old man with no significant psychiatric or medical history complained of memory loss, mental health changes and depression for over six years following treatment with cephalexin for a traumatic thumb injury while working for a construction company restoring hurricane damaged houses.