This is partially incorrect. Even if a parasite did mutate, it would be a single strand of it, not magically all of them at once. For that, we could easily pass regulations and tests to make sure things we consume or other things would not infect us with that strand. On the other hand, why would it be a zombie-like apocalypse? It wants to reproduce in the large intestines of cats, would it mean that people would just want to be around cats more often? What if a strand of the parasite has already mutated, but only infects women who knit?
At what point did i say anything about people getting it from cats? Maybe you should do your research and actually read the thread. Lmao And that link you posted says the exact same thing asthe wiki link i posted. Lol your bad at this
This thread was meant to be humorous and just food for discussion. I dont actually believe it could happen. I just found an article about the parasite and found it fascinating that a parasite can control another animals brain to compel it to be attracted to its natural predator. Scary really Per the norm though im not part of the forum in crowd so it turns into a lets attack op thread. If prime or XD woulda posted it would be a "fun" thread. I miss the old forum crowd dearly
So much fail explanation. I would normally avoid forums these days. But as this is misleading medical information. The parasite alters brain chemistry in any host. In rats it does not cause an attraction ( especially not to cat pee ) it suppresses the fear a rat would have by manipulating chemicals that would normally cause a rat to instinctively be aware of danger. You could liken this to saying the rat becomes fearless and this leads it into entering cat territory. As regards to humans. It is widely prevalent though largely considered harmless to a healthy individual. Those with immune deficiency ( HIV aids and other immuno compromised disease ) may react in a pattern that is likened to schizophrenia. That is rare so far and the widest study to date suggests the highest prevalence of parasite per capita is an 84% infection of the French populace. And the last time I checked France is not filled with zombie like cat pee sniffing schizophrenics. Please check facts prior to posting alarmist misleading information. Based on half truths. Unless you are intending on putting cat litter or uncooked meats in your mouth, you are at no greater risk than anyone else. Though the chances are that in the 1 in 3 people will become infected in their lives with no detrimental affect. The condition is easily treated currently with spiramycin. So there is zero real reason for concern. Also there is no known viral or parasitic pathogen that causes zombie like results on this planet. All contagions that could influence the hosts brain functions in such a manner would kill the host long before any such condition were possible. So I am sorry to confirm the zombie apocalypse will not occur within the foreseeable future.
Really? Bc both links posted. One from cdc and the other from wiki, both say they cause the rat to be attracted to cats for an unknown reason. Dosnt say its through fear supression. Either way it's altering the cats brain as op stated. I haven't seen one thing you said disprove one thing he said. He said a zombie like apocalypse, meaning people behaving oddly. Maybe you shouldn't pretend to know a lot about medicine. OP was just having fun, your trying to sound smart but look stupid
The parasite Toxoplasma gondii uses a remarkable trick to spread from rodents to cats: It alters the brains of infected rats and mice so that they become attracted to—rather than repelled by—the scent of their predators. A new study reveals that rodents infected with the parasitic protozoa are drawn to the smell of cat urine, apparently having lost their otherwise natural aversion to the scent. The parasite can only sexually reproduce in the feline gut, so it's advantageous for it to get from a rodent into a cat—if necessary, by helping the latter eat the former. In rodents, "brain circuits for many behaviors overlap with the brain circuits responsible for fear," said Ajai Vyas of Stanford University, who led the new study. "One would thus assume that if something messes up fear of cat pee, it will also mess up a variety of related behaviors." T. gondii has been shown to alter the behavior of infected rodents in ways thought to increase the rodents' chances of being preyed upon by cats.[10][14][15] Support for this "Manipulation Hypothesis" stems from studies showing T. gondii infected rats have a decreased aversion to cat urine and increased reaction time.[10]Because cats are the only hosts within which T. gondii can sexually reproduce to complete and begin its lifecycle, such behavioral manipulations are thought to be evolutionary adaptations that increase the parasite's reproductive success.[10] The primary mechanisms of T. gondii–induced behavioral changes in rodents is now known to occur through epigenetic remodeling in neurons which govern the associated behaviors;[16][17]for example, it modifies epigenetic methylation to cause hypomethylation of arginine vasopressin-related genes in the medial amygdala to greatly decrease predator aversion.[16][17]Widespread histone-lysine acetylationin cortical astrocytes appears to be another epigenetic mechanism employed by T. gondii.[18][19] Differences in aversion to cat urine are observed between non-infected and infected humans and sex differences within these groups were apparent as well.[20] These are the article segments which you refer to. Perhaps reading the entire articles would have yielded a different response. The interpretation is suspect at best and highly subjective. They interpret the lack of fear caused by a chemical response to being one of attraction despite the fact the rats are placed in that area and the response confirming their theory is that the rats do not flee this they get eaten by cats. That's not an attraction. It's a lack of fear that the chemical imbalance would cause. Studying rats that are initially inhibited from entering cat pee marked territory to having no fear of entering that territory is two totally different factors. Both reports cite estimation and guess work with little supportive evidence. But if wiki is your desired source for medical information then good luck to you. This is why I withdrew from forums. The bickering about impossible things with people that want to believe their brains will be turned to pulp and they will be eaten by their best mate. Schizophrenia has nothing to do with a zombie like state. That is the one cited neurological condition known to afflict the immuno compromised. So I have no hesitation in standing by that this thread was scaremongering for no reason. And supporting it does nothing to aid or inform anyone of any facts relevant to their health. Those seeking medical advice should they ever be concerned should see the doctors services or official web sites in their home nations. For the UK NHS choices has all the required information on just how little risk anyone is at.
A better article for the American reader would be Toxoplasma Gondii Toxoplasma gondii is a microscopic protozoa that causes a disease called toxoplasmosis. The disease is found all over the world. Some estimates suggest that over 30 % of human population is infected. For example, in Germany and France most people carry the parasite, whereas in South Korea it is quite rare. More than 60 million people in the United States are said to be infected. Toxoplasmosis is usually asymptomatic, because our immune system keeps the parasite from causing illness. The disease is more problematic for pregnant women and people who have weakened immune systems. Cats are the primary host and humans and other warm blooded animals are just intermediate hosts. In this sense Toxoplasma gondii is not a pure human parasite. Toxoplasma gondii is known to change the host's behaviour. Studies show the capability for the parasite to make rats fearless near cats. This indicates the evolutionary need for Toxoplasma gondii to get inside felines. When a rat is eaten by a cat the parasite gets inside the primary host. There have been a few studies with humans, too. Some results indicate a strong correlation between schizophrenia and toxoplasmosis. According to some studies women with toxoplasmosis are more likely to cheat their husbands. Men with the parasite have shown to be more aggressive. Infected humans also have slower reaction times. Humans get infected by: blood transfusion or organ transplantation (very rare) consuming undercooked, infected meat (especially lamb, pork and venison) ingesting water, soil (for example, putting dirty fingers in your mouth) or anything else that has been contaminated with cat feces mother-to-child transmission. A pregnant woman, who has just been infected with Toxoplasma gondii can pass the infection to her unborn baby (congenital infection). She might not have any symptoms, but the unborn child might suffer and develop disease. The life cycle of Toxoplasma gondii starts, when oocysts (resting form of the parasite) exit the primary host (cat) in the feces. Millions of oocysts are shed for as long as three weeks after infection. Oocysts sporulate and become infective within a few days in the environment. The oocysts are found only in the feces of domestic and wild cats. Birds, humans and other intermediate hosts get infected after ingesting water or food contaminated with the cat feces. (Healthy cats can get infected this way, too.) In the gut oocysts transform into tachyzoites which are about 4–8 µm long and 2–3 µm wide. They travel to other parts of the body via bloodstream and further develop into tissue cyst bradyzoites in muscle and neural tissue. Cysts are about 5–50 µm in diameter. They are commonly found in skeletal muscles, brain, myocardium and eyes where they can remain many decades. If a cat (or a human) eats the intermediate host, the tissue cysts get ingested and the parasite activates in the small intestine. Healthy people who become infected often do not have symptoms because their immune system keeps the parasite from causing sickness. 10–20 % of patients develop sore lymph nodes, muscle pains and other minor symptoms that last for several weeks and then go away (acute toxoplasmosis). The parasites remain in the body as tissue cysts (bradyzoites) and reactivate, if the person becomes immunosuppressed by other diseases or by immunosuppressive drugs. Usually if a woman has been infected before becoming pregnant, the unborn baby is safe because the mother has developed immunity. If a woman is pregnant and becomes infected with toxoplasmosis during or right before pregnancy, she can transmit the disease to her unborn child (congenital transmission). The earlier the transmission occurs the bigger the effects. Then again, the longer the pregnancy goes on, the more likely is the infection going to occur. This has something got to do with the penetrability of the placenta. Symptoms might include: miscarriage or stillborn baby baby born with signs of toxoplasmosis (for example, abnormal enlargement or smallness of the head) baby with brain or eye damage. Usually the babies have no symptoms initially, but can develop mental disability, vision loss (ocular toxoplasmosis) and seizures later in life. Eye disease can be caused by congenital toxoplasmosis or infection after birth or rarely from acute toxoplasmosis as an adult. Eye lesions from congenital infection are often not present at birth but occur in 20–80 % of infected individuals, when they reach adulthood. However, in the U.S. less than 2 % of persons infected after birth develop eye lesions. Eye infection leads to an acute inflammatory lesion of the retina, which leaves retinochoroidal scarring. Symptoms of acute ocular toxoplasmosis include: blurred or reduced vision eye pain redness of the eye sensitivity to light (photophobia) tearing of the eyes. The eye disease can reactivate later in life causing more damage to the retina. If the central structures of the retina are damaged, a progressive vision loss may follow. People with weakened immune systems may develop central nervous system disease, brain lesions, pneumonitis or retinochoroiditis among other risks. For example, people with AIDS and renewed toxoplasmosis can have symptoms that include: confusion fever headache nausea poor coordination seizures. If latent (chronic) toxoplasmosis reactivates in immunocompromised pregnant women who were infected before their pregnancy, it might cause congenital infection to the baby. Toxoplasmosis diagnosis is typically made by serologic tests by detecting immunoglobulin antibodies within several weeks of infection. Your health care provider examines your blood sample to find Toxoplasma-specific IgA, IgG or IgM antibodies. Living parasites can be also found in the sample (blood, cerebrospinal or other body fluids) but the process is more difficult and thus not usually used. Direct observation of the parasite is possible in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), stained tissue sections or other biopsy samples but these techniques are used less frequently due to their difficulty. A test that measures IgG determines if a person has been infected. Sometimes it is necessary to determine the time of the infection especially if the person is pregnant. For this IgM is detected along with IgG avidity test. Molecular techniques are used for detecting Toxoplasma gondii DNA in the amniotic fluid in cases of congenital transmission (mother-to-child transmission). Ocular toxoplasmosis diagnosis is usually based on symptoms, appearance of lesions in the eye, serologic testing and course of the infection. Serologic tests can be unreliable in immunosuppressed patients. Toxoplasmosis can be treated with combinations of pyrimethamine with either trisulfapyrimidines or sulfadiazine, plus folinic acid in the form of leucovorin calcium to protect the bone marrow from the toxic effects of pyrimethamine. If this treatment causes hypersensitivity reaction, then pyrimethamine and clindamycin can be used instead. If these drugs are not available, then a combination of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim can be used. Pregnant women and babies can be treated but Toxoplasma gondii cannot be eliminated completely. The parasites can remain within tissue cells in a less active stage (cyst) in locations difficult for the medication to get to. A drug called spiramycin is recommended during the first four months whereas sulfadizaine/pyrimethamine and folinic acid for women that have been pregnant for more than four months. PCR (a method to discover parasite DNA) is often performed on the amniotic fluid to find out if the infant is infected. If the infant is likely to be infected, then treatment is done with drugs such as sulfadizaine, pyrimethamine and folinic acid. Congenitally infected babies are treated with sulfonamide and pyrimethamine. Treatment for persons with ocular disease depends on the size of the eye lesion, the characteristics (acute or chronic) and the location of the lesion. Persons with compromised immune systems (such as AIDS patients) need to be treated until their health improves significantly. Also check NHS for UK sand your home nations web medical sites. If at all concerned and are pregnant approach your health care provider.
I posted the link to the cdc site because it's a reputable source and not Wikipedia. Furthermore your sensationalizing post where you theoriroze random stuff that has nothing to do with the actual condition with little to no evidence screams troll. Next time I emplore you to mention that your post is nothing more than conjecture constructed completely for fictional debate before connecting real life illness that some struggle with as having anything to do with "zombification"
Yet again, your source said the exact same thing as mine. And a what if scenario dosnt mean im connecting anything with anything. Once again, use all the big words you want you are not a good debater as nothing you say makes sense. You dont like the thread take your butt hurt self elsewhere.
I do have a legit question im not finding in the links about this parasite. Humans mostly get it from under cooked meat it says. Well if the parasite can only reproduce in cat intestines then how the hell is getting into meat?