A paper appeared in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that 92 percent of people with algae virus could not do even a simple mental task. The Acanthocystis turfacea Chlorella virus 1, or ATCV-1, was also injected on mice and it did affected their cognitive capability.
The result of the research shows that the mice injected with the Acanthocystis turfacea Chlorella virus 1, or ATCV-1 had difficulty navigating a maze and were unable to notice new objects around them. The researchers said they could not explain the cause yet because the study was an association study.
Robert Yolken, a virologist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland said that, 'At this point we do not think that this virus should be considered as a threat to individual or public health.'
'We do think that there is a need for additional medical and scientific studies of the effects of infectious agents which are common in the environment on human health and cognition,' Yolken added.
James Van Etten of the University of Nebraska, an expert on algal viruses and author of the study has been studying viruses similar to ATCV 1. He joined Johns Hopkins scientists studying ATCV 1 when the virus was found on the brain tissue of people with schizophrenia.
Van Etten said that the ATCV 1 virus 'are ubiquitous in fresh water ponds and streams throughout the world'. It normally infects algae and can only be transmitted to humans when they eat infected the algae.
Van Etten also noted the importance of additional research to shed light on the role of the virus on decreased cognition and mental ability and if the effect is temporary or permanent.
