Dr. Michele Garagnani from the University of Melbourne, Carlos Alós-Ferrer from Lancaster University and Anja Achtziger from Zeppelin University, developed the test, which assesses an individual’s reaction times to help determine whether they are infected with the protozoan parasite “Toxoplasma gondii,” which causes toxoplasmosis.

Until now, the only way of testing for infection was through a blood or saliva test.

“If you have an RhD negative blood type, an underlying toxoplasmosis infection will worsen your reaction times by less than a second and while this difference is barely noticeable, it is enough for us to assess whether you’re likely to be carrying the parasite,” Dr. Garagnani said.

Most commonly transmitted through cat feces or contaminated raw meat, the parasite affects around 30% of the global population.