BACKGROUND: Past research linked Toxoplasma gondii (TG) infection in humans with neurological and mental disorders (e.g., schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease and attention disorders), irregularities of the dopaminergic and testosterone system, and increased likelihood of being involved in traffic accidents. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We test for an association between TG infection and financial decision-making (DM) using a case-control design in a sample of female Czech students (n = 79). We estimate each subject's risk attitude and loss aversion using an experimental economic task involving real monetary incentives. We find no significant evidence that either measure of decision-making is associated with TG infection. CONCLUSION: We were unable to find evidence of an association between TG infection and financial decision-making in females.

Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education and Economics Institute Prague Czech Republic

Department of Biology Faculty of Science Charles University Prague Prague Czech Republic

Department of Computation and Neural Systems California Institute of Technology Pasadena United States of America

Department of Humanities and Social Sciences California Institute of Technology Pasadena United States of America

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Economic Holobiont: Influence of Parasites, Microbiota and Chemosignals on Economic Behavior