The influence of congenital Toxoplasma infection on the spontaneous running activity of mice

Abstract

Home-cage running-wheel activity of mice congenitally infected with Toxoplasma was recorded over 24 days. Infected mice were consistently more active than uninfected controls over the entire testing period. This finding extends previous studies and indicates that such increased activity levels occur not only in novel but also in familiar environments, and suggests that congenital toxoplasmosis tends to render mice "hyperactive'. If such behavioural alterations occur in wild mice, it is likely that infected mouse intermediate hosts would be more susceptible to predation by cats, the definitive hosts of Toxoplasma.