I had to look up toxoplasmosis since it doesn’t actually sound like anything good. In typical 4Chan style he’s confidently used it completely incorrectly
From the CDC website: "Toxoplasmosis is considered to be a leading cause of death attributed to foodborne illness in the United States. More than 40 million men, women, and children in the U.S. carry the Toxoplasma parasite, but very few have symptoms because the immune system usually keeps the parasite from causing illness. However, women newly infected with Toxoplasma during or shortly before pregnancy and anyone with a compromised immune system should be aware that toxoplasmosis can have severe consequences.
Toxoplasmosis is considered one of the neglected parasitic infections of the United States, a group of five parasitic diseases that have been targeted by CDC for public health action."
After further reading it also appears the only way you would get it from a cat would be by directly handling their feces…
Ohh, parasitology is fascinating! I highly recommend it for anyone who likes biology.
My absolute favorite are the tape worms like Taenia solium (pork tapeworm). It’s the type of worm that “ate” a portion of RFK’s brain. It wasn’t really a whole worm but it was probably an egg that he ate in undercooked meat that traveled up his body and calcified in his brain. As Rebecca Watson points out, it’s the leading cause of epilepsy worldwide.
Fun nerd facts: They have a spiky head that clings to the intestine and they absorb nutrients through their tegument (their skin). These fuckers are hermaphroditic with hundreds and hundreds of ovaries and testes within the same worm and the bodies are made of individual worm eggs (proglotids) that share a nervous system. That’s why they come apart so easily, because each proglotid is its own individual worm that can self-inseminate!
General anatomy:
Look at all those testes and ovaries!
Damn that’s terrifying. Good reason to quit pork imo. I like chicken better anyway.
Just make sure to wash your hands, disinfect vegetables and cook meat thoroughly. Lots of parasites can be transmitted this way, it’s not just pork!
What a wonderful and random thing to have a favorite of :) keep up the good work my guy
What did they call tape worms before tape was invented?
Laserdisc worms
Dad, what are you doing here??
Interesting name. I see why they shortened it to Tape Worm
Wtf that’s metal, reminds me of those single celled organisms in the ocean coming together to function as one animal
It’s been linked to risk taking and entrepreneurial behaviour in humans.
Toxoplasmosis is very intriguing, it has actually evolved alongside cats and humans for ages. While anyone with an immunodeficiency is at higher risk of severe side effects, like with any pathogen, it’s also associated with taking bigger risk. This is why a ton of motorcyclists and casino regulars test positive for the parasite. But when we were hunter gatherers, the infection was associated with bringing home bigger kills, which helped the entire tribe. Due to this, toxoplasmosis infections had sizable benefits and those with the infection often had positions of power in tribes!
That’s mad, got a source?
Of course!
-
This ones about the evolutionary benefits: The origin of risk aversion https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4273387/
-
Here’s one on fatal motorcycle accidents: Increased risk of traffic accidents in subjects with latent toxoplasmosis - a retrospective case-control study https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC117239/
-
For good measure, here’s one on business owners and the parasite: Risky business - linking Toxoplasma gondii infection and entrepreneurship behaviours across individuals and countries https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6083268/
Fascinating, wonder how hard it is to cure
It’s no picnic, parasites are burly! The Th2 adaptive immune response for worms, our only parasite response, is only good with small initial infections. But since the side effects are relatively mild considering all parasites, it’s not a big area of focus.
Fun fact: The same response for parasites causes allergies. You can never be allergic when it’s your first exposure either. But a less hygenic environment as a kid greatly redices the risk of developing allergies.
If I have mast cell activation syndrome, am I less likely to get parasites then?
Yep! Mast cells are activated when IgE antibodies bind to a mast cell receptor. When IgE then binds to the one object it was designed to find, you get mast cell degranulation. This releases histamines along with a few other chemicals. Degranulation is our immune defense against parasites, so you got a head start for parasite defense for sure! But desensitization can be achieved, which makes IgG antibodies bind to the foreign object before IgE has the chance. I’d think this could be a possible treatment for the syndrome.
Do you also have asthma? The same IgE’s also bind to eosinophil’s. Mast cell degranulation in the lungs leads to acute asthma, whereas when eosinophil’s join the party it causes airway remodeling, aka chronic asthma.
-
Seems more likely to get it from undercooked pork that touching cat poos
The most common threat to citizens in the United States is from eating raw or undercooked pork.
Yes that is the most common way to get it, but the only way Anon would get it specifically from a cat as he stated in the post would be from the cats feces
Anon feels more manly when he is handling his cats feces?
Old thread but I feel I do need to clarify this
They can be in shit particles that are stirred up by the dust from litterboxes. So just breathing when changing litter can lead to infection if you’re unlucky
the most fit pet would be one that makes you exercise(run away from it) a lot(it runs after you)!
My cat likes to sink her claws into my lap if I try to get up to do anything. I think she would prefer it if I gave up exercising altogether.
As much as I enjoy being your living couch, little kitty, I do need to eat every now and then!
but… if you dont eat, you’ll be a couch forever!
So, big cat?
or a big herbivore
It’s not his fault! He’s orange :(
Also seems more likely to get it from undercooked pork that touching cat poos
The most common threat to citizens in the United States is from eating raw or undercooked pork.
