Confused. If this parasite is only able to "reproduce in a cats gut" how does one get it from the under cooked meat?
I've known about pregnant women needing to stay away from the litter box, but also those with HIV aren't suppose to be around it either.
I do have one cat but I don't have HIV, nor am I pregnant. I'd hope I wouldn't catch it any other way...scary stuff.
Is Your Cat Driving You Mad?
Transquesta
2012/08/19 07:59:06
Cat parasite that worms into humans' brains can drive victims to suicide
By
Fiona Macrae Science Correspondent
A parasite found in cats is tampering with people's brains and driving them to suicide, research suggests.
Scientists
have shown that men and women infected with a bug that breeds in cats'
stomachs and worms into people's brains are seven times more likely to
attempt suicide than others.
They
say that Toxoplasma gondii may tinker with the delicate chemistry of
the brain and screening people for it could help identify those at risk
of taking their own lives.
A parasite found in cats is tampering with people's brains and driving them to suicide, research suggests
The parasite, which is carried by many
Britons, has a complicated life cycle but can only breed inside cats.
The microscopic eggs are passed on in cat faeces, spreading the
infection.
Pregnant women
are advised not to empty cat litter trays because the parasite can be
fatal to unborn babies. The bug can also be picked up from contaminated
food.
Around a third of people
worldwide carry the parasite, with most catching it by consuming
undercooked meat, especially lamb, pork and venison or by ingesting
water, soil or anything contaminated by cat faeces.
Scientists
looked for evidence of the infection in the blood of 84 men and women,
more than half of whom had tried to commit suicide.
The Toxoplasma gondii parasite is only able to reproduce in a cat's gut
Dr
Lena Brundin, of Michigan State University, said: 'We found that if you
are positive for the parasite, you are seven times more likely to
commit suicide.'
She said
that the parasite, which has previously been linked to brain cancer,
schizophrenia and personality disorders, may inflame the brain or tamper
with its chemistry, including levels of the 'feel-good' chemical
dopamine.
Those behind the
latest study stressed that not everyone who is infected will be
suicidal. However, they said if the link is confirmed, screening for the
bug could make it easier to determine which mental health patients are
at the greatest risk of attempting suicide.
Knowing more about the biology that precedes suicide could also lead to the creation of better anti-depressants.
Dr
Brundin said: 'It means we can develop new treatments to prevent
suicides and patients can feel hope that maybe we can help them.'
Read More: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-219...
Top Opinion
-
MlssCue =Go Blue= 2012/08/19 09:19:10
I've known about pregnant women needing to stay away from the litter box, but also those with HIV aren't suppose to be around it either.
I do have one cat but I don't have HIV, nor am I pregnant. I'd hope I wouldn't catch it any other way...scary stuff.
I guess that would mean that it reproduces inside cats, but other animals can host it, but not increase the numbers, if they come in contact with cat feces. It could then be contracted from undercooked meat of infected animals.
Other quotes from the article are "Once the parasite has infected a human host, it forms tissue cysts, generally in skeletal muscle, the brain and eyes. Although many people contract Toxoplasmosis, most do not exhibit symptoms because their immune system keeps the parasite in check. When illness does occur, it is usually limited to mild flu-like symptoms. These symptoms last for several weeks and then disappear. However, the parasite can remain in the body in a dormant state and can become reactivated if the host's immune system is compromised." and "Most healthy people will recover from Toxoplasmosis without treatment. A combination of drugs, including pyrimethamine, sulfadiazine and folinic acid can be used to treat individuals that develop more severe symptoms."
http://animal.discovery.com/i...
Meeeeeooooowww! :-)
right on target....bark