Cat Parasite May Worsen Explosive Rages[color=green][/color]
March 27, 2016 EricRetzlaff Cryptozoology, Domestic Pets, EricRetzlaff, Social 0
Apparently cats can drive you crazy—at least indirectly.

A parasite carried by cats may be more dangerous than previously thought and may be linked to explosive rages, according to a new study.

Angry driver shouting out car window
Angry driver shouting out of car window. (margedarshan.in)
The protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii has long been know to be hazardous to the fetuses of pregnant women, causing miscarriage, congenital defects, damage to the eyes, brain, or other problems. But a possible correlation of the parasite to intermittent explosive disorder in adults, appropriately labeled IED, and other psychiatric disorders has been found.

According to New Scientist:

People who have IED typically experience disproportionate outbursts of aggression, like road rage. T. gondii is already known to change the behaviour of the organisms it infects. By making rodents bolder and more adventurous, the parasite makes them more likely to be caught and eaten by a cat, allowing the parasite to complete its life cycle.

It can also infect humans, through contact with cat faeces, poorly cooked meat or contaminated water, and as many as one-third of the world’s population may be infected. The protozoan doesn’t make us feel sick, but forms cysts in the brain where it can remain for the rest of a person’s life. Such infections have been linked to psychiatric conditions including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and suicidal behaviour. People infected with T. gondii also have slower reaction times and are more likely to be involved in car accidents.

To see if T. gondii is associated with aggression, Emil Coccaro at the University of Chicago and his colleagues examined 358 adults. These fell into three groups: people with IED, people with other psychiatric conditions, and controls who had not been diagnosed with any psychiatric condition.

They found that people with IED were more than twice as likely to test positive for exposure to T. gondii as the control group. Those with other conditions were also more likely to have the parasite. Across all three groups, those who tested positive tended to rank more highly in tests measuring aggression.

DON’T BLAME YOUR OUTRAGEOUS BEHAVIOR ON THE CAT

Coccaro, who published his results in Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, DOI: 10.4088/JCP.14m09621, believes that the parasite impairs neurotransmitter-related control mechanisms in the forebrain but no one should say the cat made him do it. Rather, he thinks the parasite may worsen out-of-control angry behavior in people already prone to it.

T. Gondii lives in cat intestines and is spread through their feces and may found in raw or poorly cooked meat or unwashed root vegetables, such as carrots, beets and parsnips. Good handwashing after handling cats may be helpful.

Coccaro says rageous people can be tested and treated for the parasite, but treatment is a long process. “These parasites are so bloody difficult to kill,” says Coccaro.

Read more: The cat made me do it: Is your pet messing with your mind?

http://water-and-woods.com/2016/03/cat-parasite-may-worsen-explosive-rages/