Toxoplasma gondii

[[File:Toxoplasma_gondii_Life_cycle_PHIL_3421_lores.jpg|thumb|right|165px|The ''T. gondii'' life cycle.]]{{title-italics}}{{biology}}
'''''Toxoplasma gondii''''' is a [[Parasite|parasitic]] protozoan that causes ''toxoplasmosis'' in humans<ref>[https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/toxoplasmosis/ Toxoplasmosis]. United Kingdon National Health Service.</ref> and other animals. The domestic [[cat]] and other felids are the parasite's definitive host.<ref>[https://www.vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/cornell-feline-health-center/health-information/feline-health-topics/toxoplasmosis-cats Toxoplasmosis in Cats]. Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.</ref>

Humans can potentially catch toxoplasmosis in a number of ways:

*Ingesting raw or undercooked meat.
*Ingestion of any produce, water or soil contaminated with the feces of an infected cat.
*Transfer via kitchen tools and surfaces from raw or undercooked meat.
*Ingesting [[raw milk movement|unpasteurized milk]] and [[milk]] products.
*Poor hygiene during the birth of livestock.

Contrary to popular belief, cat ownership isn't a strong predictor of infection.<ref>Malik A. Hussain, Victoria Stitt, Elizabeth A. Szabo, and Bruce Nelan, [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5488655/ ''Toxoplasma gondii'' in the Food Supply]. Pathogens. 2017 Jun; 6(2): 21 via National Library of Medicine, National Center for Biotechnology Medicine.</ref> The standard advice for preventing toxoplasmosis is common sense stuff. Good hand hygiene, good kitchen hygiene to avoid cross-contamination, avoid undercooked meat, thoroughly wash fresh produce, and take special care in disposing of cat feces.

A healthy human would normally be unaware of an infection with ''T. gondii'', at worst experiencing short-lived, mild flu-like symptoms. An infected individual then becomes immune to new ''T. gondii'' infections, becoming an asymptomatic carrier for the rest of their lives. T. gondii infections at this point are typically asymptomatic, and carriers are noted as having "latent toxoplasmosis".<ref>Kor Yereli et al, [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0379073805006018?via%3Dihub Is Toxoplasma gondii a potential risk for traffic accidents in Turkey?] ''Forensic Science International''. 2005</ref>

Pregnant women who have not previously been infected are advised to take extra precautions against a first-time infection. Infection during or slightly before pregnancy increases the statistical risk of miscarriage or stillbirth. The infection can also pass to the unborn child as ''congenital toxoplasmosis''. This can sometimes have serious health consequences for the child.

As with many opportunistic infections, the usually unnoticeable ''T. gondii'' can be very dangerous for people with compromised immune systems.

Believe the cranks, and ''T. gondii'' is also [[Mind control|controlling the minds]] of large portions of humanity by turning us [[gay]], influencing our politics, or preparing us for the [[New World Order]].

==The reality==

There ''is'' some reliable science behind the basic idea that toxoplasmosis might influence host behavior.<ref>[https://archive.is/Zv2Wt Effects of T. gondii on behavior and psychiatric symptoms]. Toxoplasmosis–Schizophrenia Research, Stanley Medical Research Institute, November 2012.</ref> That part, at least, wasn't just [[Argumentum ex culo|extracted from a wingnut's rectum]].

===Rodents===

Latent toxoplasmosis has been shown to influence the behaviour of rodents in ways that increase the likelihood of their predation by cats. They lose their aversion to the scent of cat urine and become more active, more bold, and are thus more likely to run into a cat with fatal results.  There's a very good reason for this — domestic cats and other felids are the definitive host of ''T. gondii''. It can't win the game of life by hanging out in a rodent intermediate host; the infected animal needs to get eaten by a cat in order for the life cycle to start over with the production of oocysts.

===Humans===

Originally believed to be asymptomatic in humans (and cats) with healthy immune defenses, there is now mounting scientific evidence to suggest that ''T. gondii'' infection might influence human behaviours and/or [[psychology]]. 

Some scientific research suggests that ''T. gondii'' may affect human behavior similarly to how it impacts the behavior of rodents: by delaying reaction time and lowering hosts' risk aversion. One [[double-blind]] study revealed that humans with latent ''T. gondii'' infections had "significantly slower reaction times" and a "decrease of psychomotor performance".<ref>[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11393824/ Decrease of psychomotor performance in subjects with latent 'asymptomatic' toxoplasmosis ] by J. Havlícek et al. ''Parasitology'' 2000 May.  DOI: 10.1017/s0031182001007624 </ref> While this is clearly advantageous for the parasite when it occurs in mice, humans aren't any more likely to be eaten by a cat once infected. However, humans with latent toxoplasmosis ''are'' two to six times more likely to get into a traffic accident.<ref>[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0379073805006018?via%3Dihub Is Toxoplasma gondii a potential risk for traffic accidents in Turkey?] Kor Yereli et al. ''Forensic Science International''. 2005</ref><ref>[https://bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2334-9-72 Increased incidence of traffic accidents in Toxoplasma-infected military drivers and protective effect RhD molecule revealed by a large-scale prospective cohort study] Jaroslav Flegr et al. BMC Infectious Diseases. 2009.</ref>

Psychologically, a strong correlation has been shown between certain mental health disorders, particularly [[schizophrenia]], and latent toxoplasmosis.<ref>http://www.stanleyresearch.org/dnn/Default.aspx?tabid=179 Stanley Medical Research Institute; Toxoplasmosis-Schizophrenia Research; ''Studies of T. gondii antibodies in individuals who have schizophrenia'; Nov 2012</ref> A [[meta-analysis]] of ''T. gondii'' infection for all major psychiatric disorders found that there is a likely association between ''T. gondii'' infection with several psychiatric disorders (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, addiction), but not major depression.<ref>[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25877655 Beyond the association. Toxoplasma gondii in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and addiction: systematic review and meta-analysis] by A. L. Sutterland et al. ''Acta Psychiatr. Scand.'' 2015 Apr 15. doi: 10.1111/acps.12423.</ref> Science is cautiously exploring the nature of the connection; it is important to note that no real scientist has concluded that this is a straightforward case of cause and effect. It might simply be that people who are [[Association fallacy|predisposed]] to certain psychological disorders are also predisposed to ''T. gondii'' infection for some unidentified reason.

Jaroslav Flegr et al. won the 2014 [[Ig Nobel Prize]] for Public Health "for investigating whether it is mentally hazardous for a human being to own a cat."<ref>[http://www.improbable.com/ig/ig-pastwinners.html Winners of the Ig® Nobel Prize]</ref><ref>"Changes in personality profile of young women with latent toxoplasmosis," Jaroslav Flegr and Jan Havlicek, ''Folia Parasitologica'', vol. 46, 1999, pp. 22-28.</ref><ref>[http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301051103000759 Decreased level of psychobiological factor novelty seeking and lower intelligence in men latently infected with the protozoan parasite ''Toxoplasma gondii'' Dopamine, a missing link between schizophrenia and toxoplasmosis?] by Jaroslav Flegr et al. (2003) ''Biological Psychology'' Volume 63, Issue 3, July 2003, Pages 253–268. doi:10.1016/S0301-0511(03)00075-9.</ref><ref>[http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0070585 Describing the Relationship between Cat Bites and Human Depression Using Data from an Electronic Health Record] by David Hanauer et al. (2013) ''PLoS ONE,'' vol. 8, no. 8, e70585.</ref>

==The pseudoscience and the crazy==

The idea of a parasite with even minimal ability to influence our behaviour without our knowing it is pretty creepy. Scary, even. It's actually surprising that more cranks haven't seized on the idea. Of those that have, they don't agree on whose crank agenda is the rational and safe one, and therefore do not agree on which self-destructive behaviours are being "controlled" by ''T. gondii''. So, we have our pick of:

===Influencing politics in Sweden===

During 2013, some [[nationalism|nationalist]] media, such as ''Dispatch International'', brought up the theory that ''T. gondii'' caused "[[political correctness]]" in the [[Western World]], and reluctance to oppose [[Islam]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150413165013/http://www.d-intl.com/2013/08/12/det-finns-hopp-for-sverige-politikernas-idioti-kan-bero-pa-en-parasit/ Krönika:Det finns hopp för Sverige – politikernas idioti kan bero på en parasit] Archived from d-intl.com, 12 August 2012.</ref>

In short, the [[Swedish]] language article argues that any [[political]] decisions the author views as stupid may be the result of toxoplasmosis. It argues that the parasite is causing risky and self-destructive behaviour in its human hosts.<ref>[http://slutpixlat.blogspot.se/2013/08/dispatch-international-maste-ha.html?m=1 Dispatch International måste ha drabbats av en parasit!] slutpixlat.blogspot.se, August 2013.</ref>

All this assumes, of course, that the [[Far right|hard-right]] position on [[immigration]] and integration is the correct behaviour for safety and self-preservation in humans; the article does not consider that it could, instead, be the right-wing camp who arrived at their ''own'' convictions under the destructive influence of ''T. gondii''.

The article offers a ray of hope to the [[Racist|oppressed nationalists]], recommending that decision makers should be immediately [[Vaccination|vaccinated]] against ''T. gondii''. There isn't actually a human vaccine, yet, but maybe they're proposing to stick politicians with the [[sheep]] version?

===Turning people gay===

There is some "research" into the notion that [[homosexuality]] is an acquired disease.<ref>[http://jaymans.wordpress.com/2013/06/12/gay-germ-fallout/ Gay Germ Fallout?] jaymans.wordpress.com, 12 June 2013.</ref> While some argue that gay-disease is almost certainly due to an unknown viral agent,<ref>[http://westhunt.wordpress.com/2012/02/16/depths-of-madness Depths of Madness]. westhunt.wordpress.com, 16 February 2012.</ref> others have latched on to ''T. gondii''.

{{quotebox|Homosexuality is a parasitical disease of the person's mother. The disease organism is the Toxoplasma gondii parasite. At a critical period in the developing fetus the parasite invades the womb and the fetus' sub-cortical structures reversing the target of the fetus's sex drive at adolescence.<ref>[http://jaymans.wordpress.com/2013/01/12/a-gay-germ-is-homophobia-a-clue/ A Gay Germ? Is Homophobia a Clue?] jaymans.wordpress.com, 12 January 2013; comment by Patrick Boyle on this post.</ref>}}

It's possible that the initial association of ''T. gondii'' with homosexuality is based on the fact that the infection is extremely dangerous to an individual with AIDS, with severe or fatal infections not uncommon before [[HIV]] became manageable. The parasite has therefore been studied in connection with population groups at higher than average risk of contracting HIV, including homosexuals.<ref>Brian Wong et. al., [https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/0003-4819-100-1-36 Central-Nervous-System Toxoplasmosis in Homosexual Men and Parenteral Drug Abusers]. Annals of Internal Medicine, 1 January 1984.</ref> As with the Swedish politics claim, the theorists assume that homosexuality is a faulty and self-destructive behaviour (as opposed to none-of-their-damned-business). It might just as easily be a case of ''T. gondii'' creating a tendency towards [[homophobia]] and other socially divisive attitudes. If these people are losing any sleep, it's probably because they're scared of being exposed to some theoretical pathogen while unconscious, and waking up gay. The fact that there are no documented cases of this happening, ever, should be a big clue as to the level of credibility everyone should give to this idea.

===Fluffy's Master Plan for World Domination===
{{cquote|The cat next door has evil schemes<BR>
He's not as docile as he seems<BR>
We are just instruments they play<BR>
And he told me that cats will soon have their day.|||"Fluffy' s Master Plan for World Domination" by Amy Engelhardt of {{wpl|The Bobs}}<ref>[https://amyengelhardt.bandcamp.com/track/fluffys-master-plan-for-world-domination-fluffy-20 Fluffy's Master Plan for World Domination] by Amy Engelhardt, ''Bandcamp''.</ref>}}

It's the [[New World Order]] programming us to be unthinking cogs in the [[sheeple]] machine, which ought to be giving everyone who isn't infected sleepless nights, if only we'd wake up and see ''the truth''.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140729103225/http://lunaticoutpost.com/Topic-Toxo Toxo] by LoP Guest (01-30-2013 05:04 AM) ''Lunatic Outpost'' (archived from July 29, 2014).</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140729103216/https://davidicke.com/forum/showthread.php?t=211372 Conspiracy or not conspiracy?] by triddle2 (27-05-2012, 11:21 AM) ''David Icke'' (archived from July 29, 2014).</ref>

==Implications==

We can reasonably demonstrate that cat-avoiding behaviours are beneficial for a rodent, and that rodents getting themselves eaten more frequently by cats is of benefit to ''T. gondii'' because it completes the parasitic life cycle. The cat appears to get an easier-to-catch meal out of the deal.

It's less obvious what ''T. gondii'' gets out of influencing human politicians to make tolerant decisions on immigration and foreign policy (since the bug is global already and isn't choosy about ethnic origin in its hosts), or out of turning straight people gay (since the only way to catch it from another human is to eat them raw, who has sex with whom is of no obvious relevance to the pathogen's life cycle), let alone what it gets out of programming the human race to ignore all the ''really obvious clues everywhere'' that the New World Order will be taking over any day now. In the latter case, it might be possible to argue that ''T. gondii'', and possibly all the domestic cats, are being actively controlled by the global elite, and are as much victims as we are.

One unproven but more rational suggestion is that "crazy cat lady" behaviour — and by extension, humanity's preferential treatment of the domestic cat — could be caused by ''T. gondii''.<ref>[http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/toxo-terror-are-our-brains-controlled-by-cat-loving-parasites Toxo Terror: Are Our Brains Controlled by Cat-Loving Parasites?] Vice, 12 December 2011.</ref> While "crazy cat lady" is a [[stereotype]] rather than a medical diagnosis, there are certainly cat-hoarders who lose all perspective about their own welfare and, in spite of their devotion, that of their cats.

==Vaccine==

A vaccine for toxoplasmosis exists for sheep, where infection of pregnant ewes can cause abortion or stillbirth. Thus far, there is no vaccine available for cats or for humans, since the infection was not originally thought to be symptomatic in individuals with a strong immune system, but research is ongoing. There is also serious science happening on the human behavioural side, trying to find out why [[Suicide|suicidal tendencies]] and certain mental disorders like [[schizophrenia]] correlate so strongly with toxoplasmosis.

==See also==
*[[Bacteria#Microbiomes|Microbiomes]]

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Cats]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theories]]
[[Category:Disease]]
[[Category:Homophobia]]
[[Category:Mental health]]
[[Category:Organisms]]
[[Category:Political correctness]]
[[Category:Horror]]

Categories: Cats, Conspiracy theories, Disease, Homophobia, Mental health, Organisms, Political correctness, Horror