Car Accidents caused by Parasites?

[wonderwanders]

This is just disturbing...    apparently about half the people on the planet are infected with this parasite ,called Toxoplasma gondii.

It used to be considered almost harmless, as we humans are not the target species and our immune system prevents its spread.  However, now research is showing that the parasite DOES affect us.....

It's been linked

Comments

[secret_savior]

I smell a House episode in the future..

[morbidoutlook]

fuck yeah! How awesome would that be!?

[tanukisuit]

While that show does hold some entertainment value, it was annoying as shit when people kept bringing up episodes of that show in Anatomy and Physiology class. Student: "OH, that's like that disease that was on House!" Teacher: "Uhmmmm yeah...."

[kaelstra]

It's kinda pretty too:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Toxoplasma_gondii.jpg

This is the parasite you get from having cats, lol. I remember hearing people who have it are a lot more likely to be in car accidents. :O

[meuniere]

Maybe Asians can't drive because they eat cats. o:

... that was horrible, I'm sorry. XD;;

[sarsissexy]

haha!

[shirogirl]

cats? no
pig's uterus and chicken feet? yes

[catfeathers]

Whoa. This is really bizarre.

[kaelstra]

This parasite is one of the reasons they lecture pregnant women not to change the cat's litterbox.

[catfeathers]

Yeah, I've heard that before a ton of times, but I didn't realize all the other crazy stuff it does. One thing I'm wondering is how common this parasite actually is.

Also: "T. gondii infections have the ability to change the behavior of rats and mice, making them drawn to rather than fearful of the scent of cats." Amazing.

[kikayume]

Which I always found weird because it's much more common to get from handling raw meat and nobody ever flips out about pregnant women cooking.

[residualvisuals]

Crazy when I heard about it the first time, but I'm pretty sure this has been posted here before.

[heymermaid]

Hahahaha your icon.

[diffuse]

it has.

[zhai]

"Women seem to become more intelligent, outgoing, conscientious, sexually promiscuous, and kind; changes in men seem to cause opposite trends."

And it's feminist, too!

[smoofy]

Hell, if I was a parasite and I had to choose....

[wildsurprise]

No wonder I'm so smart and sexy!

[tilmitt]

If that's all the parasite causes in us, hell, I'd like two please.