[ConservativeMind]

There are studies from Eastern Europe that suggest personality shifts among men and women once infected. Women become somewhat more personable and men become more jealous.

Regardless, a parasite like this could be doing a lot of bad and is simply able to cover it up.

There's no telling how many fewer colds or how much faster our bodies could respond to stresses without this pathogen hijacking our cells.

I grew up on a farm with many cats. Since reading about T. Gondii over the years, I will not ever let my kids have a cat.

[A CA Guy]

[non-anonymous]

If your kids aren't pregnant and don't have AIDS, I wouldn't worry.

[Pontiac]

Since T. Gondii infects nearly all warm blooded animals can be transmitted by the eating of meat and finds its way to the brain could it be possible that T. Gondii is the cause of Mad Cow disease and not prions?

[neverdem]

Graphic: A Ubiquitous Pathogen That Keeps Its Host Healthy

Top, Henrik Lambert and Anette Hofmann/Karolinska Institute; Above, Niclas Hitziger/Karolinska Institute
PARASITE'S PROGRESS Toxoplasma gondii, the smaller organism at top, hijacks cells of the immune system. Scientists used mice to monitor the movement of Toxoplasma, highlighted above. Dendritic cells help the parasite spread faster than it could alone.

[cricket]

The dendritic cells sneak the parasites into the brain and other organs, acting much like a Trojan horse

Toxoplasma gondi. . .

'As above; so below'. .

. . ..have long mused as to the synchroncity in the similar 'waves of terror' that threaten us.

Finally, we have definitive evidence and as well a name/classification. ..origin perhaps of the terror species who live, attack and kill in the 'above' world. Terrorists, terror cells. . .who challenge description in human terms

Beyond the metahor. . . a 'naming' of that viral terror; speaks as well to the 'above'. ..sharing similar attributes. . .dendritic cells, stealth parasites. . .trojan horse MO; all which cause fear, panic and death.

And for survivial; a warring response. . .

Toxoplasma gondi. . .if one thinks about it and with the smallest stretch. . .seems to resonate with Liberals and 'stealth Liberalism' as well. . .

[AngelesCrestHighway]

sounds like the Democratic Party in America....

[leadhead]

It's:

Pick one:

1.Bush's fault

2.Because of Global warming

3.The end of life as we know it

4.B******t

[thoughtomator]

...personality shifts among men and women once infected. Women become somewhat more personable...

A Rare Case of Complete Immunity

[Blueflag]

Bear in mind that a healthy human body has, by numeric count, far more non-human organisms living in it than it has cells alltogether.

But read this quote from wikipedia, ESPECIALLY THE LAST LINE!

"Toxoplasma gondii is a species of parasitic protozoa whose definitive host is cats but can also be carried by the vast majority of other warm-blooded animals including humans. It causes the disease toxoplasmosis which is usually minor and self-limiting but can have serious or even fatal effects, particularly in cats, or for a foetus when first contracted during pregnancy. It belongs to the Apicomplexa and is the only known member of the genus Toxoplasma.

Human prevalence

The U.S. NHANES (1999-2000) national probability sample found that 15.8% of U.S. persons above 12 years of age had Toxoplasma-specific IgG antibodies, indicating that they had been infected with the organism. This prevalence had not significantly changed from the 1988-1994 data.[4]

It is estimated that up to 50% of all people worldwide are infected with Toxoplasma gondii. The incidence of infection is highly specific to each nationality with ranges such as 22% infected in the UK to over 88% in France.[5]

[Route797]

Keep your cats indoors.

[Larry Lucido]

T. gondii (magnified 100,000X)

[LIConFem]

A photo (above) of the common Parisite [sic].

[kyle969]

If anyone is still reading this...

Research indicates it not just makes people more personable or jealous so much as causes a heightened level of conscientiousness. Which is commonly referred to as ‘feel-good-ism’.

Toxoplasmosis could explain the mass-neurosis we refer to as liberalism.