Is A Cat Parasite In Control Of Your Brain?

My grandfather helped to train me to drive. And he believed in defensive driving.  He used to say, “Predicting what a different driver may possibly do, is like attempting to forecast the course of a cat parade.”  As It turns out, cats may have more to do with our driving than my grandfather ever imagined!

If I informed you that an alien bug had infected the brains of half the population, hijacked their neurochemistry, and influenced the way they acted while driving, you most likely wouldn’t believe me. Yet a thing like this may in fact be occurring right now!

Toxoplasma gondii is not an alien, in fact, it is so common that in some parts of the world as much as 60% of the population is infested with this parasite. Toxoplasma gondii is  transmitted indirectly from cats and kittens to people and it has been shown to influence individual personalities in numerous ways.  For most that are infected, the signs are normally no worse than a gentle case of flu. But now there is a growing body of proof that some of those infected individuals may have their behavior permanently altered.

Research has shown that women who are infected with the parasite tend to be warm, outgoing and attentive to others, while infected men have a tendency to be less intelligent and probably a bit boring. But both men and women who are infected are more inclined to feeling guilty and insecure.

Dr. Jaroslav Flegr of Charles College in Prague, has studied various aspects of the Toxoplasma question. In one case he looked at the infection rate of individuals involved in traffic accidents. Dr. Flegr discovered that drivers and pedestrians who had been in accidents were almost three times more likely to be infected than comparable individuals who had not been.

“But officer, I have a cat!”

Dr. Flegr has also discovered other abnormalities in infected individuals. These included} diminished reaction times and shorter attention spans—both of which may possibly help to explain the collision statistics.

“Holy cat poop, Batman!” 

Like Plasmodium, that cycles in between mosquitoes and man, Toxoplasma cycles in between its rodent and feline hosts, living out different phases of its existence in each. In cats, it resides in the wall of the small intestine and passes out of the host in its feces. These are then picked up by rats and mice where they form cysts in the brain, liver and muscle tissue. Ultimately, if the parasites are lucky, their rodent host is eaten by a cat or kitten and the whole cycle starts again.

“I’m a cat lover, what should I do?”

Keep your cat or kitten on a diet of protected cat food and, if feasible, not left to feed off rats or mice.

Dr. Flegr says, “This isn’t about making an attempt to freak cat owners out. Basically having a cat as a pet doesn’t mean you’re going to get infected.”

Of course, perhaps some alien is inducing him say that!

Until Next Time,
Eddie
ASenseOfHumorDriving.com 
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Richland Hills, TX 76180
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