8/17/2023 0 Comments Parasite in city 2 redditOf course, rats aren't the only animals that Toxoplasma ends up in. For example, Toxoplasma infection alters rat behavior with surgical precision, making them lose their fear of (and even become sexually aroused by!) the smell of cats by hijacking neurochemical pathways in the rat's brain. Incredibly, the parasite has evolved to help ensure that this occurs. Toxoplasma can only continue its life cycle and end up a happy adult in a cat's gut if it can find its way into a cat's gut, and the fastest way to a cat's gut, of course, is to be eaten by a cat. Once in this new host, the parasite changes and migrates, eventually settling as cysts in various tissues including the host's brain, where the real fun begins. These find their way into other animals that come in contact with cat crap. In the guts of cats, this single-celled protozoan lives and breeds, producing egg-like cells which pass with the cats bowel movements. Toxoplasma gondii is arguably the most interesting parasite on the planet. So, of course, we are downright offended that a simple, single-celled organism can manipulate our favorite organ, influencing the way we think and act. We scare our children with tales of monsters that eat them, and obsessively study how they work, even when these efforts are often fruitless. We think our brains set us apart, make us special. We're proud of them - of their size and their complexity. We human beings are very attached to our brains.
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