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Comment by yread | Hacker News Reader

It also influences human behaviour [1] which is probably why the grandparent's post is so massively downvoted ;)

It can also be deadly when it doesn't kill you "The difference in seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in these 2 samples suggests that Toxoplasma-infected subjects have a 2.65 times higher risk of traffic accidents than Toxoplasma-free subjects"

EDIT: it also suggests an explanation: "the effects of T. gondii are best explained in evolutionary terms by the manipulation hypothesis, ie, the parasite changes the behavior of the rodent in such a way as to increase the chances of the parasite's getting into a feline and completing its life cycle."

[1] http://schizophreniabulletin.oxfordjournals.org/content/33/3...

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Yep, cat people hate when you talk about their beloved pets. I've seen friends parents not wash their hands after playing with cats, after I suggest that they should they think I'm crazy for saying the phrase "brain parasite", even after showing wikipedia articles and suggesting that they look it up themselves.

Crazy cat ladies are undoubtedly infected with the parasite.

There needs to be more public awareness about this. Change your cat's litter-box daily, wash your hands after touching a cat (kittens specifically), be very cautious of outdoor cats, never handle a cat while pregnant or if you have a compromised immune system. Also wash vegetables and cook meat thoroughly.

Even more shocking is the percentage of the human population that is infected, over 30%!

In case you're wondering, I downvoted you for (a) getting needlessly personal and (b) more importantly, wildly overstating the very minor role of cats in spreading toxoplasma, relative to unwashed vegetables and undercooked meat. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasma_gondii#Risk_factors_...: "Numerous studies have shown living in a household with a cat is not a significant risk factor for T. gondii infection, though living with several kittens has some significance."

It's fine if you don't like cats, but don't try to turn it into a moral crusade.

Oh, yeah: the research that suggests a connection between toxoplasma and feelings about cats shows that it makes men like cats more and women like them less. Your "crazy cat lady" thing has no basis in fact.

What about this? http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/toxoplasmosis/epi.html

Animal-to-human (zoonotic) transmission section: "Cats play an important role in the spread of toxoplasmosis"

"Because T. gondii can sexually reproduce only within cats, they are defined as the definitive host of T. gondii." No cats, no toxoplasma gondii brain parasite.

I have nothing against cats, but the phrase "brain parasite" and the fact that 30+% of the worlds human population are infected scares the shit out of me.

"As of 2013, at least 38 studies have found a positive correlation between T. gondii antibody titers and schizophrenia."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasmosis#Schizophrenia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crazy_Cat_Lady_Syndrome#Society...

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