#Recycled my old fence into a planter and built a topper chicken wire enclosure to keep the 😼s from 💩ing on the 🫑🥕🥒🍅. Only you can fight #toxoplasmosis 😜! #garden

Has mass shooter Francisco Oropeza been tested for Toxoplasma infection? #texasshooter #texasshooting #toxoplasmosis

I may have just coined a phrase—or at least a punk rock band name twenty years too late:

“Zombie Cult Virus.”

Some of you may understand what I mean by that. The #toxoplasmosis effect that #SARSCov2 #infection seems to have on people, if only psychologically. But at this point, I’m starting to suspect it may go deeper than that: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33487628/

(Thanks to @froukehe9 for the link to this paper.)

#CovidIsNotOver but nobody cares anymore.

‟A Parasite Is Killing Sea Otters. Is Cat Poop to Blame?” https://www.wired.com/story/a-parasite-is-killing-sea-otters-is-cat-poop-to-blame/ #toxoplasmosis

AAAS: "No kittens required: Scientists find new way to study toxoplasmosis parasite in lab" Toxoplasma gondii, a single-celled protozoan parasite, can infect almost all mammal + avian species. Severe cases can result in blindness, birth defects + death. Pregnant women + those planning pregnancy should have zero contact with kitty litter boxes, because this can cause the classic intrauterine infection. "Yet it only sexually reproduces inside the intestines of domestic cats and other members of the Felidae family, prompting controversial studies on kittens." Until now, researchers used kittens for study by feeding them meat laden with Toxoplasma + harvested the sporelike parasite particles shed in the animals' feces. "Those cats were then euthanized, sometimes just a few weeks later, and incinerated to avoid spreading the infection." Shortly after infecting a cat, asexual Toxoplasma begins making merozoites, which then form macro- and microgametes—the parasite version of egg and sperm cells. "Using gene-editing technology CRISPR in Toxoplasma, researchers began systematically disabling genes for proteins known as AP2 transcription factors, which influence gene activity during the parasite’s development." So far this has enabled production of merozoites, but not yet the 2 sexual forms. A big step, but more work to be done, as is always true in science. The photo looks like alien spacecraft, but really just microscopic tachyzoites.   #geneediting    #toxoplasmosis    #science

AAAS: "Deadly parasite threatens California sea otters" 2020 a veterinary pathologist examined a dead sea otter from central California. Findings were unusual, with inflammation in nearly all of the animal's body fat, plus pancreas + heart. Pathogen was Toxoplasma gondii, the parasite that causes toxoplasmosis. "But this strain wasn’t acting like the usual Toxoplasma, which typically causes mainly brain and heart inflammation in immune-suppressed animals, and is far less lethal." This speciman though had few parasites in the brain, perhaps because it died so quickly the parasite had not yet extensively invaded. "Sea otters once ranged across the Pacific Rim, but were hunted nearly to extinction for their pelts in the 18th and 19th centuries." Otters eat urchins, which attack kelp, which provides habitat for many organisms. Mammals + birds can be infected by T. gondii. Parasite reproduces sexually in cats, which excrete its microscopic eggs in feces [dangerous for pregnant women]. If oocyts reach the coast, clams and other filter-feeding invertebrates may take up the oocysts, a risk for otters + theoretically humans. The Monterey Bay Aquarium treats about 10 sea otters with toxoplasmosis per year. The threat to humans is uncertain, as the strain infecting sea otters — called COUG — has never been found in our species. Fortunately, I never eat uncooked shellfish, more properly called molluscs, because of the risks of Vibrio, norovirus + hepatitis A.
#toxoplasmosis #seaotters

#Toxoplasmosis in Sea Otters in SoCal. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2023.1116899/full

@PTG@disabled.social I'm genuinely curious. Other kinds of infections (notably #toxoplasmosis) are strongly linked with increased risk-taking behavior. #LongCOVID has definitely been implicated in lowered cognitive capacity among many sufferers; it's possible that it also affects judgment, including ability to accurately assess risks. Add in the stress & frustration you mention, and a hypothesis starts to form pretty clearly.

@mathew1927
Or maybe we take more risks? #Toxoplasmosis infection can lead to risky behavior. Can SARS-CoV-2 do so as well?

#Toxoplasmosis—the #pathogen with a molecular master key.

#CRMP #invasion

https://phys.org/news/2023-01-toxoplasmosisthe-pathogen-molecular-master-key.html

@arstechnica

"A parasite associated with bold behavior is also associated with wolf pack leadership, according to a new study"

With up to *half* of the world population infected with #ToxoplasmaGondii, studying it sounds like a smart idea.

Maybe also study how to get rid of the parasitic infection.

There's plenty of #aggression in the world already as things stand.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasmosis

#toxoplasmosis #cats #psychology

Having seen this headline, I *had* to read the article.

"Of alpha dogs and cat poop"

"Is the urge to start a company caused by a brain parasite? 😂

https://www.businessinsider.com/parasite-cat-feces-wolves-entrepreneur-silicon-valley-startup-company-2022-12

#business #toxoplasmosis

Capitalism is like #Toxoplasmosis, rendered as information.

DEEPLY buried lede on this. LAST 2 PARAS:
[clip]
Next, the team is interested in examining the long-term consequences of a T. gondii infection, and whether infected wolves make better leaders or dispersers than uninfected wolves.

It’s also not known how infection impacts survival and reproduction rates, Cassidy says. “Infection may very well be detrimental in some ways and advantageous in others.”
[/clip]
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/wolves-parasite-pack-leader-toxoplasma-gondii

Capitalism is like #Toxoplasmosis, rendered as information.

DEEPLY buried lede on this. LAST 2 PARAS:
[clip]
Next, the team is interested in examining the long-term consequences of a T. gondii infection, and whether infected wolves make better leaders or dispersers than uninfected wolves.

It’s also not known how infection impacts survival and reproduction rates, Cassidy says. “Infection may very well be detrimental in some ways and advantageous in others.”
[/clip]
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/wolves-parasite-pack-leader-toxoplasma-gondii

My cat's such an asshole but I love him anyway
#toxoplasmosis

Krass: "#Wolves with #toxoplasmosis were 46 times more likely to become pack leaders, perhaps because of the increased #boldness commonly associated with the disease."
https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/toxoplasma-infected-wolves-more-likely-to-lead-packs-study-finds-70794

@LeeDugatkin Could it be that toxic CEOs might be infected by #toxoplasmosis ? After all humans are mammals too...
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-03836-9

@conradhackett A suggestion that #toxoplasmosis infection increases #attractiveness seems a step too far!

The @PeerJ article https://peerj.com/articles/13122/ included that, so it wasn't distorted by a press release or IFLScience.

A simpler explanation is that those judged more attractive may be more likely to have previously picked up an STI like toxoplasmosis. If they included a comparison to other common STIs, that could be controlled for. #EvolutionaryPsychology

I was musing for a while whether some "alpha" behaviour in human #opinion-"leaders" could be the side effect of a #toxoplasmosis infection... It seems to be for wolves:

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-03836-9

@trendless
#omg what a #thoughtOfTheDay 😱😳 and even on a New moon & all..🌚

Where’s a #Nolan brother to turn this into a #movie #series #novel #screenplay

#perhaps there is something to the #toxoplasmosis #theory

#theySay ENTP are the introverts of the E’s but I just call us #super #annoying 😇 #itIsWhatItis 🤷🏻‍♀️🖤

And yes I’m kicking myself on not doing data download sooner:(