Project description
Toxoplasma gondii exposure has been consistently associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia, yet the biological pathways underlying this relationship remain poorly understood. Conducted through a collaborative effort between the Federal University of Santa and Catarina (UFSC), the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), and Fiocruz this project aims to identify gut microbiome signatures associated with Toxoplasma gondii exposure and neuropsychiatric vulnerability in individuals with schizophrenia. By focusing on an underexplored Global South context, the study seeks to generate insights that are locally relevant and globally informative, with the potential to support earlier risk identification and more personalized approaches to toxoplasmosis and schizophrenia care.
3 Questions to Livia Hecke Morais
What is the relationship between your project and the microbiota?
Toxoplasma gondii is known to establish infection in humans and to alter immune pathways, yet how its exposure relates to changes in the gut microbiota and its signaling functions remains poorly understood. This project examines how T. gondii exposure status is associated with differences in the gut microbiome in individuals with schizophrenia, with the goal of identifying microbiome signatures linked to neuropsychiatric vulnerability.
How can your project uncover microbiome pathways linking toxoplasmosis and schizophrenia care in Brazil?
Brazil is an underexplored setting for microbiome–psychiatric research. Studying a Brazilian human cohort, this project seeks to identify gut microbiota signatures linked to Toxoplasma exposure and schizophrenia, with relevance for risk identification and personalized care, and insights that are locally relevant and globally informative, alongside patient- and caregiver-focused educational outreach.
How will the Henri Boulard Award help your team perform your project?
It will allow our team to carry out critical aspects of our human microbiome study, strengthen our collaborations in Brazil and internationally, and support the training of students.
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