Toxoplasmosis and Parkinson's

[Syncletica]

Has there been any research that correlates cat ownership and the development of PD-- Specifically, exposure to toxoplasmosis.

I did a cursory search and found some evidence of a correlation. Wondering what percentage of PWP have owned cats and if the cats could be a possible vector.

I would appreciate sharing speculations regarding the possibility of this causality.

Thank you.

[johntPM]

There has been some discussion of this in the Neurotalk forum over the years. If you can find the distribution of cat ownership across the US (preferably on a county-by-county basis), you could compare it with maps showing the prevalence of PD in the paper by Willis et al. (2010).

I'd like to hear more about your research.

John

[Syncletica in reply to johntPM]

Thank you, John. I'll try to research the suggestions provided.

[HeartSong]

You pose a vary interesting question.

I can't answer your question, but I can tell you that I always had multiple cats when I was growing up. At 19, I suddenly became allergic to them and have been ever since (I'm 63 now). I was diagnosed with PD at age 58. No one else in my family has cat allergies; no one else in my family has PD.

Have you been able to do any preliminary research into this issue?