Anyone heard about Toxoplasma Gondii? It's an interesting, if somewhat worrying subject.
Toxoplasma Gondii is a parasite that lives in your brain and changes your behaviour.
Rats pick up Toxoplasma from exposure to cat faeces, making them suicidally blasé about moggies, even to the extent of actually making the smell of cat attractive to them.
The rats get eaten and thus the parasite gets passed on.
Humans, charmingly, also pick it up by exposure to cat faeces and by eating under-cooked meat or under-washed vegetables.
If you live in Britain or America, the chance that you already have it could be as high as 50%.
If you're in France or Germany, then you're living in a country where 80-90% of the population enjoy these brain parasites.
It increases risk-taking behaviour, makes you more likely to be involved in car accidents, makes men more solitary, women more social and has been linked to mental illness.
It's odd to think that humanity's personality is being altered en masse by these tiny interlopers, but if the stats are correct, that's exactly what's happening.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/h...icle1161725.ece
http://www.praguepost.com/articles/2007/02...-hypothesis.php
Full Version: Personality-altering parasites
glad i don't like meat..
Well good thing I live in Canada!
QUOTE(Primeval @ Jul 17 2007, 11:17 AM) 
Well good thing I live in Canada!
Not going to help you. It's a bit global.
I think one of the lowest infection rates is in South Korea.
If you live somewhere where people like cats as pets, then there'll be a lot of people with it.
QUOTE(Saard @ Jul 17 2007, 03:22 AM)
Not going to help you. It's a bit global.
I think one of the lowest infection rates is in South Korea.
If you live somewhere where people like cats as pets, then there'll be a lot of people with it.
I think one of the lowest infection rates is in South Korea.
If you live somewhere where people like cats as pets, then there'll be a lot of people with it.
Ya if you let your cat take a dump allover the place, then roll around on the ground! This isn't anything to worry about unless your an extremely dirty person sorry.
QUOTE(Primeval @ Jul 17 2007, 12:07 PM)
Ya if you let your cat take a dump allover the place, then roll around on the ground! This isn't anything to worry about unless your an extremely dirty person sorry.
Yet another reason for me to hate cats. There evil.
The thought of any kind of parasite in my body makes me wanna throw up. I'll never give up my bubby-boy Chester, he spends barely any time outside and is a very clean cat, so I think I'm safe...
Though I suppose this is what Crazy-Cat Lady suffers from?
Though I suppose this is what Crazy-Cat Lady suffers from?
You know I would never have believed this until I researched it... Just sounds so incredible...
Hmm i guess I am not infected yet as I am very antisocial!
Yay! Love my kittie too much to get rid of her!!!!
Hmm i guess I am not infected yet as I am very antisocial!
Yay! Love my kittie too much to get rid of her!!!!
QUOTE(Saard @ Jul 17 2007, 01:06 PM)
Anyone heard about Toxoplasma Gondii? It's an interesting, if somewhat worrying subject.
Toxoplasma Gondii is a parasite that lives in your brain and changes your behaviour.
Rats pick up Toxoplasma from exposure to cat faeces, making them suicidally blasé about moggies, even to the extent of actually making the smell of cat attractive to them.
The rats get eaten and thus the parasite gets passed on.
Humans, charmingly, also pick it up by exposure to cat faeces and by eating under-cooked meat or under-washed vegetables.
If you live in Britain or America, the chance that you already have it could be as high as 50%.
If you're in France or Germany, then you're living in a country where 80-90% of the population enjoy these brain parasites.
It increases risk-taking behaviour, makes you more likely to be involved in car accidents, makes men more solitary, women more social and has been linked to mental illness.
It's odd to think that humanity's personality is being altered en masse by these tiny interlopers, but if the stats are correct, that's exactly what's happening.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/h...icle1161725.ece
http://www.praguepost.com/articles/2007/02...-hypothesis.php
Toxoplasma Gondii is a parasite that lives in your brain and changes your behaviour.
Rats pick up Toxoplasma from exposure to cat faeces, making them suicidally blasé about moggies, even to the extent of actually making the smell of cat attractive to them.
The rats get eaten and thus the parasite gets passed on.
Humans, charmingly, also pick it up by exposure to cat faeces and by eating under-cooked meat or under-washed vegetables.
If you live in Britain or America, the chance that you already have it could be as high as 50%.
If you're in France or Germany, then you're living in a country where 80-90% of the population enjoy these brain parasites.
It increases risk-taking behaviour, makes you more likely to be involved in car accidents, makes men more solitary, women more social and has been linked to mental illness.
It's odd to think that humanity's personality is being altered en masse by these tiny interlopers, but if the stats are correct, that's exactly what's happening.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/h...icle1161725.ece
http://www.praguepost.com/articles/2007/02...-hypothesis.php
Now, if you really want to get scared take a look at all other bacteria that could alter minds. (Hint, hint, all those that need two stages in different organisms to procreate). Then we go on to all parasites and then to all....
By the way, just before you are about to jump of a bridge, remember that carrying a bacteria and or parasite does not automatically mean that you are affected by it. In the case of Toxoplasma only humans who have a weak immune system or part of their immune system switched off (i.e. pregnant women) are at risk. That is why the man should clean your kitties litter box during that time
QUOTE(questionmark @ Jul 17 2007, 02:36 PM)
Now, if you really want to get scared take a look at all other bacteria that could alter minds. (Hint, hint, all those that need two stages in different organisms to procreate). Then we go on to all parasites and then to all....
By the way, just before you are about to jump of a bridge, remember that carrying a bacteria and or parasite does not automatically mean that you are affected by it. In the case of Toxoplasma only humans who have a weak immune system or part of their immune system switched off (i.e. pregnant women) are at risk. That is why the man should clean your kitties litter box during that time
By the way, just before you are about to jump of a bridge, remember that carrying a bacteria and or parasite does not automatically mean that you are affected by it. In the case of Toxoplasma only humans who have a weak immune system or part of their immune system switched off (i.e. pregnant women) are at risk. That is why the man should clean your kitties litter box during that time
No need for bridge-jumping, it's true, the effects are subtle and might even lead you to live a more exciting life.
Humans are naturally host to a (very small) zoo-worth of tiny creatures. For instance, as everyone probably knows, our guts are full of bacteria that we actually need.
However, the thing about Toxoplasma Gondii is that scientists now think that is does affect you just as a carrier, regardless of your immune system. Read the links:
"...Until now, however, the parasite has always been thought harmless to healthy people because their immune systems could suppress the infection. But this view seems certain to change, especially in the light of research at Oxford University..."
QUOTE(Saard @ Jul 17 2007, 05:15 PM)
No need for bridge-jumping, it's true, the effects are subtle and might even lead you to live a more exciting life.
Humans are naturally host to a (very small) zoo-worth of tiny creatures. For instance, as everyone probably knows, our guts are full of bacteria that we actually need.
However, the thing about Toxoplasma Gondii is that scientists now think that is does affect you just as a carrier, regardless of your immune system. Read the links:
"...Until now, however, the parasite has always been thought harmless to healthy people because their immune systems could suppress the infection. But this view seems certain to change, especially in the light of research at Oxford University..."
Humans are naturally host to a (very small) zoo-worth of tiny creatures. For instance, as everyone probably knows, our guts are full of bacteria that we actually need.
However, the thing about Toxoplasma Gondii is that scientists now think that is does affect you just as a carrier, regardless of your immune system. Read the links:
"...Until now, however, the parasite has always been thought harmless to healthy people because their immune systems could suppress the infection. But this view seems certain to change, especially in the light of research at Oxford University..."
Ehm, yes but that has been investigated a few times previously with inconclusive results. There are just as much studies confirming it as there are denying it. So lets see, if the majority of the Germans turn into Evel Knevel (was that his name?) we can confirm this certainly as there is a bigger percentage of carriers. (What could also be is that just more people are diagnosed in Germany because with socialized medicine doctors tend to send you for a million tests if you have an ingrown toenail to fill their coffers).
ED:TYPO
QUOTE(Primeval @ Jul 17 2007, 12:07 PM)
Ya if you let your cat take a dump allover the place, then roll around on the ground! This isn't anything to worry about unless your an extremely dirty person sorry.
I'm not trying to worry anyone (the subject title was meant to be attention-grabbing).
You can get it from cats, even if you're perfectly clean.
Cat's aren't the only source though, so don't go hating those lovable little fleabags.
You can also get it from food regardless of whether you own a moggy, as it can lay dormant in soil or in the flesh of animals we eat. This is why half of the world's population apparently already has it.
QUOTE(questionmark @ Jul 17 2007, 03:25 PM)
Ehm, yes but that has been investigated a few times previously with inconclusive results. There are just as much studies confirming it as there are denying it. So lets see, if the majority of the Germans turn into Evel Knevel (was that his name?) we can confirm this certainly as there is a bigger percentage of carriers. (What could also be is that just more people are diagnosed in Germany because with socialized medicine doctors tend to send you for a million tests if you have an ingrown toenail to fill their coffers).
ED:TYPO
ED:TYPO
Yep, I read that they're in two minds and some scientists attribute the link to other factors.
Ummmm, nasty little buggers. Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. 
... 
yuck!
... yuck!
QUOTE(Saard @ Jul 17 2007, 07:33 AM)
Cat's aren't the only source though, so don't go hating those lovable little fleabags.
So your telling me, my killing 50 cats went in vain!
With the amount of alcohol I consume, these creature wouldn't have a chance.
In fact, it's almost cerveza time now.
In fact, it's almost cerveza time now.
QUOTE(Saard @ Jul 17 2007, 04:06 AM)
Anyone heard about Toxoplasma Gondii? It's an interesting, if somewhat worrying subject.
Toxoplasma Gondii is a parasite that lives in your brain and changes your behaviour.
Rats pick up Toxoplasma from exposure to cat faeces, making them suicidally blasé about moggies, even to the extent of actually making the smell of cat attractive to them.
The rats get eaten and thus the parasite gets passed on.
Humans, charmingly, also pick it up by exposure to cat faeces and by eating under-cooked meat or under-washed vegetables.
If you live in Britain or America, the chance that you already have it could be as high as 50%.
If you're in France or Germany, then you're living in a country where 80-90% of the population enjoy these brain parasites.
It increases risk-taking behaviour, makes you more likely to be involved in car accidents, makes men more solitary, women more social and has been linked to mental illness.
It's odd to think that humanity's personality is being altered en masse by these tiny interlopers, but if the stats are correct, that's exactly what's happening.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/h...icle1161725.ece
http://www.praguepost.com/articles/2007/02...-hypothesis.php
Toxoplasma Gondii is a parasite that lives in your brain and changes your behaviour.
Rats pick up Toxoplasma from exposure to cat faeces, making them suicidally blasé about moggies, even to the extent of actually making the smell of cat attractive to them.
The rats get eaten and thus the parasite gets passed on.
Humans, charmingly, also pick it up by exposure to cat faeces and by eating under-cooked meat or under-washed vegetables.
If you live in Britain or America, the chance that you already have it could be as high as 50%.
If you're in France or Germany, then you're living in a country where 80-90% of the population enjoy these brain parasites.
It increases risk-taking behaviour, makes you more likely to be involved in car accidents, makes men more solitary, women more social and has been linked to mental illness.
It's odd to think that humanity's personality is being altered en masse by these tiny interlopers, but if the stats are correct, that's exactly what's happening.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/h...icle1161725.ece
http://www.praguepost.com/articles/2007/02...-hypothesis.php
You body is one big parasite full of all kinds of good and bad parasites. All sicknesses, cancers, colds, etc. come from parasites the travel throughout your body looking for a place to house and lay eggs. Bacteria and parasites are so minute. They can enter your body through the skin, through the air you breathe, through the food you eat (by the way, find out what beer and alchohol is, rubbing alchohol, gasoline, kerosene, etc.), letting the cat or dog lick you (where did they last lick?), etc. Every pet owner has the same bacteria in their bodies as does the dog or cat through the daily contact. If you have a good immune system, no worries, your body will take care of it because the enemy is so small. But, if the bacteria escapes detection and houses in an organ or your brain, the bacteria will build its nest and start eating and pooping in the little house it builds. Then you get tumors, cysts, dandruff, whooping cough, etc.
QUOTE(greggK @ Jul 17 2007, 04:38 PM)
You body is one big parasite full of all kinds of good and bad parasites. All sicknesses, cancers, colds, etc. come from parasites the travel throughout your body looking for a place to house and lay eggs. Bacteria and parasites are so minute. They can enter your body through the skin, through the air you breathe, through the food you eat (by the way, find out what beer and alchohol is, rubbing alchohol, gasoline, kerosene, etc.), letting the cat or dog lick you (where did they last lick?), etc. Every pet owner has the same bacteria in their bodies as does the dog or cat through the daily contact. If you have a good immune system, no worries, your body will take care of it because the enemy is so small. But, if the bacteria escapes detection and houses in an organ or your brain, the bacteria will build its nest and start eating and pooping in the little house it builds. Then you get tumors, cysts, dandruff, whooping cough, etc.
Okay I'm gonna go puke now...
I talked about this with one of my friends who is an MD. I had asked because we have cats and it was around the time our first son was born. Anyway, he says that he sees hardly any cases of it at the hospital he works at in GA. He also said the best way to prevent it, is keep kitty inside, don't let cats on surfaces used for eating and regularly change your cats litter.
Anyway that his 2 cents, sounded sound to me
Anyway that his 2 cents, sounded sound to me
QUOTE(greggK @ Jul 17 2007, 04:38 PM)
You body is one big parasite full of all kinds of good and bad parasites. All sicknesses, cancers, colds, etc. come from parasites the travel throughout your body looking for a place to house and lay eggs. Bacteria and parasites are so minute. They can enter your body through the skin, through the air you breathe, through the food you eat (by the way, find out what beer and alchohol is, rubbing alchohol, gasoline, kerosene, etc.), letting the cat or dog lick you (where did they last lick?), etc. Every pet owner has the same bacteria in their bodies as does the dog or cat through the daily contact. If you have a good immune system, no worries, your body will take care of it because the enemy is so small. But, if the bacteria escapes detection and houses in an organ or your brain, the bacteria will build its nest and start eating and pooping in the little house it builds. Then you get tumors, cysts, dandruff, whooping cough, etc.
Actually bacteria are not parasites. Parasites are organisms that live off another organism in a one way beneficial symbiotic relationship. Parasite is not the same as pathogen as is the case with most bacteria.
Toxoplasmosis, the disease it causes, is usually minor and self-limiting but can have serious or even fatal effects on a fetus whose mother first contracts the disease during pregnancy or on an immunocompromised human or cat.
-Wikipedia
I'm a guy, so I don't need to worry about Toxoplasmosis.....Sounds like some supervillian:
"Watch out, here comes Toxo Plasmosis!"
-Wikipedia
I'm a guy, so I don't need to worry about Toxoplasmosis.....Sounds like some supervillian:
"Watch out, here comes Toxo Plasmosis!"
QUOTE(greggK @ Jul 17 2007, 04:38 PM)
You body is one big parasite full of all kinds of good and bad parasites. All sicknesses, cancers, colds, etc. come from parasites the travel throughout your body looking for a place to house and lay eggs. Bacteria and parasites are so minute. They can enter your body through the skin, through the air you breathe, through the food you eat (by the way, find out what beer and alchohol is, rubbing alchohol, gasoline, kerosene, etc.), letting the cat or dog lick you (where did they last lick?), etc. Every pet owner has the same bacteria in their bodies as does the dog or cat through the daily contact. If you have a good immune system, no worries, your body will take care of it because the enemy is so small. But, if the bacteria escapes detection and houses in an organ or your brain, the bacteria will build its nest and start eating and pooping in the little house it builds. Then you get tumors, cysts, dandruff, whooping cough, etc.
OK, you are a parasite living off of the products of the earth, the animals and whatever is in the animal that you do not take out. For the MD who is so smart, a dog or a cat constantly throughout the day or night licks the genital area and its butt! Let your dog or cat lick you after you have watched it give itself a bath licking itself all over.
There are approximately 10 times as many bacterial cells as human cells in the human body, with large numbers of bacteria on the skin and in the digestive tract. What does that say about the cat or dog? They are everywhere, in everything. Cats cough up hairballs and some dogs eat their poop.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacteria
Many important biochemical reactions, such as energy generation, occur due to concentration gradients across membranes, creating a potential difference analogous to a battery. The absence of internal membranes in bacteria means these reactions, such as electron transport, occur across the cell membrane, between the cytoplasm and the periplasmic space.[41] Additionally, while some transporter proteins consume chemical energy, others harness concentration gradients to import nutrients across the cell membrane or to expel undesired molecules from the cytoplasm.
I put this to show that the bacteria, such as e. coli or anthrax or even Streptocochus or some little bacteria that the dog or cat has pulled off of its butt is now on you and when it gets in your body and makes its home and starts multiplying, you have a lot of batteries in you and that will take over your personality. Yes, keep the cat or dog outside in the yard popping and peeing all over the place, step in it, and track it in your house and the same exact thing will happen.. It is unavoidable. If you have a dog or cat or mouse or horse.
You body is one big parasite full of all kinds of good and bad parasites. All sicknesses, cancers, colds, etc. come from parasites the travel throughout your body looking for a place to house and lay eggs. Bacteria and parasites are so minute. They can enter your body through the skin, through the air you breathe, through the food you eat (by the way, find out what beer and alchohol is, rubbing alchohol, gasoline, kerosene, etc.), letting the cat or dog lick you (where did they last lick?), etc. Every pet owner has the same bacteria in their bodies as does the dog or cat through the daily contact. If you have a good immune system, no worries, your body will take care of it because the enemy is so small. But, if the bacteria escapes detection and houses in an organ or your brain, the bacteria will build its nest and start eating and pooping in the little house it builds. Then you get tumors, cysts, dandruff, whooping cough, etc.
QUOTE(camlax @ Jul 17 2007, 05:53 PM)
Actually bacteria are not parasites. Parasites are organisms that live off another organism in a one way beneficial symbiotic relationship. Parasite is not the same as pathogen as is the case with most bacteria.
OK, you are a parasite living off of the products of the earth, the animals and whatever is in the animal that you do not take out. For the MD who is so smart, a dog or a cat constantly throughout the day or night licks the genital area and its butt! Let your dog or cat lick you after you have watched it give itself a bath licking itself all over.
There are approximately 10 times as many bacterial cells as human cells in the human body, with large numbers of bacteria on the skin and in the digestive tract. What does that say about the cat or dog? They are everywhere, in everything. Cats cough up hairballs and some dogs eat their poop.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacteria
Many important biochemical reactions, such as energy generation, occur due to concentration gradients across membranes, creating a potential difference analogous to a battery. The absence of internal membranes in bacteria means these reactions, such as electron transport, occur across the cell membrane, between the cytoplasm and the periplasmic space.[41] Additionally, while some transporter proteins consume chemical energy, others harness concentration gradients to import nutrients across the cell membrane or to expel undesired molecules from the cytoplasm.
I put this to show that the bacteria, such as e. coli or anthrax or even Streptocochus or some little bacteria that the dog or cat has pulled off of its butt is now on you and when it gets in your body and makes its home and starts multiplying, you have a lot of batteries in you and that will take over your personality. Yes, keep the cat or dog outside in the yard popping and peeing all over the place, step in it, and track it in your house and the same exact thing will happen.. It is unavoidable. If you have a dog or cat or mouse or horse.
QUOTE(Primeval @ Jul 17 2007, 12:17 AM)
Well good thing I live in Canada!
Nice! that was very funny
Well, I don't think you need to worry too much, they probably die after a couple months.
QUOTE(Primeval @ Jul 17 2007, 12:17 AM)
Well good thing I live in Canada!
There was an e.coli outbreak in, I think, west central Canada on a farm killing several cows.
Then what happened was an e.coli appeared on farms in California killing some people across the U.S. when they ate their spinach.
There is a very common fungus that is a personality altering thing because you itch and itch and it makes you get big and fat. It is called Candida. And if you happen to get ahold of some taxoplasmoid thing, it will make its nest in the Candida that is lining the intestinal walls.
Symptoms of toxoplasmosis and severe toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasmosis is relatively harmless to most people, although some may develop "flu-like" symptoms such as swollen lymph glands and/or muscle aches and pains. In otherwise healthy individuals, the disease is usually mild and goes away without medical treatment. However, dormant tissue stages can remain in the infected individual for life.
However, persons with weakened immune systems such as those with HIV/AIDS infection, organ transplant recipients, individuals undergoing chemotherapy, and infants may develop severe toxoplasmosis. Severe toxoplasmosis may result in damage to the eyes or brain. Infants becoming infected before birth can be born retarded or with other mental or physical problems.
Well good thing I live in Canada!
There was an e.coli outbreak in, I think, west central Canada on a farm killing several cows.
Then what happened was an e.coli appeared on farms in California killing some people across the U.S. when they ate their spinach.
There is a very common fungus that is a personality altering thing because you itch and itch and it makes you get big and fat. It is called Candida. And if you happen to get ahold of some taxoplasmoid thing, it will make its nest in the Candida that is lining the intestinal walls.
Symptoms of toxoplasmosis and severe toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasmosis is relatively harmless to most people, although some may develop "flu-like" symptoms such as swollen lymph glands and/or muscle aches and pains. In otherwise healthy individuals, the disease is usually mild and goes away without medical treatment. However, dormant tissue stages can remain in the infected individual for life.
However, persons with weakened immune systems such as those with HIV/AIDS infection, organ transplant recipients, individuals undergoing chemotherapy, and infants may develop severe toxoplasmosis. Severe toxoplasmosis may result in damage to the eyes or brain. Infants becoming infected before birth can be born retarded or with other mental or physical problems.
QUOTE(greggK @ Jul 18 2007, 11:55 AM)
OK, you are a parasite living off of the products of the earth, the animals and whatever is in the animal that you do not take out. For the MD who is so smart, a dog or a cat constantly throughout the day or night licks the genital area and its butt! Let your dog or cat lick you after you have watched it give itself a bath licking itself all over.
There are approximately 10 times as many bacterial cells as human cells in the human body, with large numbers of bacteria on the skin and in the digestive tract. What does that say about the cat or dog? They are everywhere, in everything. Cats cough up hairballs and some dogs eat their poop.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacteria
There are approximately 10 times as many bacterial cells as human cells in the human body, with large numbers of bacteria on the skin and in the digestive tract. What does that say about the cat or dog? They are everywhere, in everything. Cats cough up hairballs and some dogs eat their poop.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacteria
QUOTE
Parasitism is one version of symbiosis ("living together"), a phenomenon in which two organisms which are phylogenetically unrelated co-exist over a prolonged period of time, usually the lifetime of one of the individuals.
By organism they mean something living. Lets not forget what it means to be alive, you must
1. Reproduce with fidelity
2.Contain a mechanism or structure capable of converting energy from one form to another
3. Cell is basic unit
4. Create waste from metabolic respiration and eliminate this waste
5. Evolve, inherent variability
Typically parasite refers to a eukaryotic organism.
QUOTE(greggK @ Jul 18 2007, 11:55 AM)
Many important biochemical reactions, such as energy generation, occur due to concentration gradients across membranes, creating a potential difference analogous to a battery. The absence of internal membranes in bacteria means these reactions, such as electron transport, occur across the cell membrane, between the cytoplasm and the periplasmic space.[41] Additionally, while some transporter proteins consume chemical energy, others harness concentration gradients to import nutrients across the cell membrane or to expel undesired molecules from the cytoplasm.
I put this to show that the bacteria, such as e. coli or anthrax or even Streptocochus or some little bacteria that the dog or cat has pulled off of its butt is now on you and when it gets in your body and makes its home and starts multiplying, you have a lot of batteries in you and that will take over your personality. Yes, keep the cat or dog outside in the yard popping and peeing all over the place, step in it, and track it in your house and the same exact thing will happen.. It is unavoidable. If you have a dog or cat or mouse or horse.
I put this to show that the bacteria, such as e. coli or anthrax or even Streptocochus or some little bacteria that the dog or cat has pulled off of its butt is now on you and when it gets in your body and makes its home and starts multiplying, you have a lot of batteries in you and that will take over your personality. Yes, keep the cat or dog outside in the yard popping and peeing all over the place, step in it, and track it in your house and the same exact thing will happen.. It is unavoidable. If you have a dog or cat or mouse or horse.
heh, Im not sure where you are going with this. Obviously they are refering to the Krebs cycle. Its not really a battery at all in a sense, I think they use that as a metaphor for power generation. Even if they were a battery Im not sure how you draw the conclusion that batteries take over your personality.
QUOTE(greggK @ Jul 18 2007, 05:46 PM)
QUOTE(Primeval @ Jul 17 2007, 12:17 AM)
Well good thing I live in Canada!
There was an e.coli outbreak in, I think, west central Canada on a farm killing several cows.
Then what happened was an e.coli appeared on farms in California killing some people across the U.S. when they ate their spinach.
Well good thing I live in Canada!
There was an e.coli outbreak in, I think, west central Canada on a farm killing several cows.
Then what happened was an e.coli appeared on farms in California killing some people across the U.S. when they ate their spinach.
I remember this; it was tragic news. It got an elderly sailor man with a squint. He'll be missed.
To the people who are saying that they're male or that they're clean or whatever, I'd just like to reiterate the point of the post.
Toxoplasma Gondii is widespread.
If the stats are to be believed, of the people who have posted on this forum, half or more of us already have it.
Doctors previously thought that it has no real effect. Now there is evidence to suggest it has an effect upon personality.
Your personality and that of the people around you, even of your country might be, in part, influenced by these cute little critters.
Our personalities are of course constantly influenced by outside agencies, but the idea that the fate of humanity (and this includes you, even if you're male or from Canada) is being changed by a microscopic infestation is a biggie.
It wouldn't be the first time though.
QUOTE(Chokmah @ Jul 18 2007, 05:18 PM)
Well, I don't think you need to worry too much, they probably die after a couple months.
Oh, so they only spend a few months living inside your brain?
That's alright then!
QUOTE(Raptor X7 @ Jul 18 2007, 09:47 PM)
Oh, so they only spend a few months living inside your brain?
That's alright then!
That's alright then!
Sometimes one has to say: Where there is none, nothing can be affected.
http://clark.pamrotella.com/
Dr. Hulda Clarke's cures for parasites.....
http://www.drclark.net/en/cleanses_clean-u...asite_chart.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wormwood
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wormwood
I think her cure is oil of cloves... wormwood
( Absinth ...Campari....Vermouth may do????) and Black Walnut Hull Tincture
Been thinking of a cocktail.. with ground walnuts with a drop of black walnut tincture... vermouth/Campari/Absinth.... with a pinch of cloves ... add an apple for good measure... or some other fruit... ...blend!!!!
Dr. Hulda Clarke's cures for parasites.....
http://www.drclark.net/en/cleanses_clean-u...asite_chart.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wormwood
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wormwood
QUOTE
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/cooking_basics/100878
Vermouth was invented to be used medicinally. Its original primary ingredient was wormwood - the name "vermouth" is derived from "vermut" which is German for wormwood. Wormwood is a plant with powerful medicinal and psychoactive qualities and was used to cure stomach problems, including intestinal worms. Wormwood, however, is a very bitter plant. Wormwood as an ingredient was eventually outlawed due to its mind-bending properties, but vermouth today is still characterized by a bitter undertone moderated by the botanicals.
Vermouth was invented to be used medicinally. Its original primary ingredient was wormwood - the name "vermouth" is derived from "vermut" which is German for wormwood. Wormwood is a plant with powerful medicinal and psychoactive qualities and was used to cure stomach problems, including intestinal worms. Wormwood, however, is a very bitter plant. Wormwood as an ingredient was eventually outlawed due to its mind-bending properties, but vermouth today is still characterized by a bitter undertone moderated by the botanicals.
I think her cure is oil of cloves... wormwood
( Absinth ...Campari....Vermouth may do????) and Black Walnut Hull TinctureBeen thinking of a cocktail.. with ground walnuts with a drop of black walnut tincture... vermouth/Campari/Absinth.... with a pinch of cloves ... add an apple for good measure... or some other fruit... ...blend!!!!
QUOTE(Saard @ Jul 17 2007, 06:06 AM)
Anyone heard about Toxoplasma Gondii? It's an interesting, if somewhat worrying subject.
Toxoplasma Gondii is a parasite that lives in your brain and changes your behaviour.
Rats pick up Toxoplasma from exposure to cat faeces, making them suicidally blasé about moggies, even to the extent of actually making the smell of cat attractive to them.
The rats get eaten and thus the parasite gets passed on.
Humans, charmingly, also pick it up by exposure to cat faeces and by eating under-cooked meat or under-washed vegetables.
If you live in Britain or America, the chance that you already have it could be as high as 50%.
If you're in France or Germany, then you're living in a country where 80-90% of the population enjoy these brain parasites.
It increases risk-taking behaviour, makes you more likely to be involved in car accidents, makes men more solitary, women more social and has been linked to mental illness.
It's odd to think that humanity's personality is being altered en masse by these tiny interlopers, but if the stats are correct, that's exactly what's happening.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/h...icle1161725.ece
http://www.praguepost.com/articles/2007/02...-hypothesis.php
Toxoplasma Gondii is a parasite that lives in your brain and changes your behaviour.
Rats pick up Toxoplasma from exposure to cat faeces, making them suicidally blasé about moggies, even to the extent of actually making the smell of cat attractive to them.
The rats get eaten and thus the parasite gets passed on.
Humans, charmingly, also pick it up by exposure to cat faeces and by eating under-cooked meat or under-washed vegetables.
If you live in Britain or America, the chance that you already have it could be as high as 50%.
If you're in France or Germany, then you're living in a country where 80-90% of the population enjoy these brain parasites.
It increases risk-taking behaviour, makes you more likely to be involved in car accidents, makes men more solitary, women more social and has been linked to mental illness.
It's odd to think that humanity's personality is being altered en masse by these tiny interlopers, but if the stats are correct, that's exactly what's happening.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/h...icle1161725.ece
http://www.praguepost.com/articles/2007/02...-hypothesis.php
Well I had originally doubted those numbers, 50% is high, but I decided to do some more research on it. Heres what I found.
QUOTE
when it is reactivated in immune-suppressed persons. To determine the prevalence of T. gondii infection in a representative sample of the US population, the authors tested sera from participants in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988–1994) for immunoglobulin G antibodies to T. gondii. Of 27,145 persons aged ≥12 years, 17,658 (65%) had sera tested. The overall age-adjusted seroprevalence was 22.5% (95% confidence interval (CI): 21.1, 23.9); among women aged 15–44 years, seroprevalence was 15.0% (95% CI: 13.2, 17.0). Age-adjusted seroprevalence was higher in the Northeast (29.2%) than in the South (22.8%), Midwest (20.5%), or West (17.5%) (p < 0.05). In multivariate analysis, risk for T. gondii infection increased with age and was higher among persons who were foreign-born, persons with a lower educational level, those who lived in crowded conditions, and those who worked in soil-related occupations, although in subset analyses risk categories varied by race/ethnicity. Nearly one quarter of adults and adolescents in the United States have been infected with T. gondii.
To explain what they are doing, they are checking for the presence of T. gondii antibodies, if they are found in someone that would indicate that there Immune system has recently been attacked by it. So they found that 22.5% of Americans had antibodies. That is kinda scary.
Jones JL, Kruszon-Moran D, Wilson M, McQuillan G, Navin T, McAuley JB, et al. Toxoplasma gondii infection in the United States: seroprevalence and risk factors. American Journal of Epidemiology 2001;154:357–65.
The good news is though, that even though infections rates are high (er) (I say that because that is but a fraction of prevalent antibodies for something like the common cold) Mortality rates are extremely low. (compared to infection rates).
QUOTE
o better quantify the impact of foodborne diseases on health in the United States, we compiled and analyzed information from multiple surveillance systems and other sources. We estimate that foodborne diseases cause approximately 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths in the United States each year. Known pathogens account for an estimated 14 million illnesses, 60,000 hospitalizations, and 1,800 deaths. Three pathogens, Salmonella, Listeria, and Toxoplasma, are responsible for 1,500 deaths each year, more than 75% of those caused by known pathogens, while unknown agents account for the remaining 62 million illnesses, 265,000 hospitalizations, and 3,200 deaths. Overall, foodborne diseases appear to cause more illnesses but fewer deaths than previously estimated.
And also
QUOTE
Overall, the specified pathogens [28 total pathogens] cause an estimated 2,718 deaths each year, of which 1,809 are attributable to foodborne transmission (Table 3). Excluding death due to Listeria, Toxoplasma, and hepatitis A virus, the number of deaths due to pathogens that cause acute gastroenteritis is 1,381, of which 931 (67%) are attributable to foodborne transmission. Bacteria account for 72% of deaths associated with foodborne transmission, parasites for 21%, and viruses for 7%. Five pathogens account for over 90% of estimated food-related deaths: Salmonella (31%), Listeria (28%), Toxoplasma (21%), Norwalk-like viruses (7%), Campylobacter (5%), and E. coli O157:H7 (3%).
Mead PS, ****sker L, Dietz V, McCaig LF, Bresee JS, Shapiro C, et al. Food-related illness and death in the United States. Emerging Infectious Disease 1999;5:607–24.
I wouldn't worry that much about it unless you are immune suppressed, pregnant, or elderly. A little common sense can help keep you safe here.
As per the CDC..
QUOTE
- Wash your hands thoroughly with running water and soap after contact with cat feces (stool) and after gardening.
- If you are pregnant or immunocompromised, try to have another person non-pregnant or immunocompromised clean out the litter box every day.
- Clean out kitty litter boxes daily (not when pregnant).
- If you are pregnant or immunocompromised, keep your cats indoors.
- Avoid eating undercooked meat.
- Do not feed undercooked meat to your cat.
I just wonder how long it will take, if it hasn,t been used yet that some pedophile,rapist or murderer uses it as a defense in their court trial? ( I.m innocent your honor, the perisites made me do it ) I believe these parasites can change our behavior but i,m just sick of everyone blaming everything and everyone else for their bad choices! The last thing humans need is more excuses for not being responsible! 
sounds like something they should use on house
QUOTE(Saard @ Jul 17 2007, 04:22 AM)
Not going to help you. It's a bit global.
I think one of the lowest infection rates is in South Korea.
If you live somewhere where people like cats as pets, then there'll be a lot of people with it.
I think one of the lowest infection rates is in South Korea.
If you live somewhere where people like cats as pets, then there'll be a lot of people with it.
South Korea? well now i know this study is crap... Considering asians eat everything including cats and dogs.
I think we're in contact with bacteria, and parasites every day, no matter how clean we are...After reading all this I feel like living in a bubble.....
Hmmmm...it would explain my past craziness....
Its amazing that something so small can do so much damage
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