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Excited to share some new research hot off the press @FrontPsychiatry for my second #PhD paper. Here, we provide evidence that implicates Toxoplasma gondii and fox circovirus in the peculiar behaviour of wild UK red foxes with 'Dopey Fox Syndrome' 
1/n https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.513536/full?&utm_source=Email_to_authors_&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=T1_11.5e1_author&utm_campaign=Email_publication&field=&journalName=Frontiers_in_Psychiatry&id=513536
1/n https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.513536/full?&utm_source=Email_to_authors_&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=T1_11.5e1_author&utm_campaign=Email_publication&field=&journalName=Frontiers_in_Psychiatry&id=513536
Excellent work from @RoyalVetCollege vets & other collaborators ( @HarryJPeters, @CnpDr and co) and as always great supervision (& study design) @JoWebster_Group @DrMartinWalker. Huge thanks to National Fox Welfare Society and the Ginpat Trust for making this work possible. 2/n
What did we find?
The prevalence of T. gondii, & of fox circovirus, was higher in neurologically-impaired 'Dopey' foxes housed in UK sanctuaries than in culled wild foxes (presumably healthy). To see what DFS can look like, see this video 
3/n https://www.facebook.com/kingfisherwildlifesanctuary/videos/2728067420551492
The prevalence of T. gondii, & of fox circovirus, was higher in neurologically-impaired 'Dopey' foxes housed in UK sanctuaries than in culled wild foxes (presumably healthy). To see what DFS can look like, see this video 3/n https://www.facebook.com/kingfisherwildlifesanctuary/videos/2728067420551492
Although we had limited power due to small sample sizes, co-infections of T. gondi–fox circovirus were also more prevalent in sanctuary foxes. 4/n
Our paper hence provides preliminary support for a multi-infectious agent model of neurological disease causation. Similarly, in humans, mind-altering conditions like schizophrenia can be caused by a variety of different infectious agents 
5/n https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128009819000146
5/n https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128009819000146
Microscopic examination of amygdala and nucleus accumbens brain regions more frequently revealed histological signs of inflammation in DFS foxes than wild culled foxes 
These regions have roles in fear responses, motivation & pleasure, & T. gondii-altered behaviour 
6/n
These regions have roles in fear responses, motivation & pleasure, & T. gondii-altered behaviour 6/n
While we expected that infection might stress our furry fox friends, our #cortisol experiments (with excellent work from @HarryJPeters & @CnpDr) showed little difference between T. gondii infected and uninfected foxes. Plot a) shows all foxes, & b) pairs of matched foxes. 7/n
Now some behaviour results (but first some background for important context)....8/n
(but first some background for important context)....8/n
T. gondii infection is known to make rats become attracted to cat urine (coined fatal feline attraction). This behaviour manipulation might increase the efficiency of parasite transmission from intermediate host (rat) -> definitive host (cat) 
9/n
9/n
T. gondii infected men also rate the odour of cat urine as more pleasant than their uninfected counterparts (though gender-dependent effects exist; see the article below ). 10/n https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0001389
). 10/n https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0001389
Now back to our study...
We provide the first evidence that T. gondii infected foxes are similarly attracted to feline odour. In (previously validated) behaviour assays infected foxes (n=6) consistently visited cat urine odour "zones" more times than dog urine "zones". 11/n
We provide the first evidence that T. gondii infected foxes are similarly attracted to feline odour. In (previously validated) behaviour assays infected foxes (n=6) consistently visited cat urine odour "zones" more times than dog urine "zones". 11/n
As well as providing additional insight into T. gondii's broad host effects, our study brings forth new Qs regarding how neurological disease onset & maintenance is controlled – & more general Qs re infectious causation of a variety of mental disorders in vertebrate hosts. n/n
