One in three people carry this brain parasite but the body has a kill switch

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 — key defenders of the immune system — those cells can trigger a self-destruct mechanism powered by an enzyme called caspase-8. By sacrificing themselves, the infected cells also wipe out the parasite inside them.

Health Feb 17, 2026 0 11 Add to Reading List

One in three people carry this brain parasite but the body has a kill switch

WHY THE HEN DOES NOT HAVE TEETH STORY BOOK

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WHY THE HEN DOES NOT HAVE TEETH STORY BOOK

Click the image to get your copy!

WHY THE HEN DOES NOT HAVE TEETH STORY BOOK

Click the image to get your copy!

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 — key defenders of the immune system — those cells can trigger a self-destruct mechanism powered by an enzyme called caspase-8. By sacrificing themselves, the infected cells also wipe out the parasite inside them.

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