• 1 in 3 people worldwide carry the brain parasite Toxoplasma gondii. • The parasite can settle in the brain and persist for life. • Most carriers remain asymptomatic, but infection is severe in immunocompromised individuals. • Toxoplasma can infect CD8+ T cells, the immune cells that normally eliminate it. • Researchers discovered CD8+ T cells use caspase‑8 to trigger self‑destruct, killing the parasite. • This self‑destruct mechanism acts as a built‑in kill switch for the infection. • Understanding this process may improve treatments for vulnerable patients. • The study was conducted by the UVA Health Center for Brain Immunology and Glia.
Article Summaries:
- One in three people carry this brain parasite but the body has a kill switch - Date: - February 16, 2026 - Source: - University of Virginia Health System - Summary: - 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 â key defenders of the immune system â those cells can trigger a self-destruct mechanism powered by an enzyme called caspase-8. By sacrificing th
Sources: