Scary Parasite That Affects Cognition Has Quietly Infected Billions of People

[Freija]

Parasite That Affects Cognition Has Quietly Infected Billions of People​

"There is no drug that cures it at this point."

Parasite That Affects Cognition Has Quietly Infected Billions of People

A parasite transmitted via cat turds has silently infected billions of people, and scientists are scrambling to contain it.

futurism.com

One of the world’s most effective parasites doesn’t spread through mosquito bites or undercooked snails — but through the common house cat.

Called toxoplasma gondii, the parasite is a single-cell organism that primarily spreads to humans via cat turds, but also through raw or undercooked meat, contaminated water, and from a mother to her fetus. Its symptoms range from mild aches and pains to debilitating neural impairment, which makes it all the more horrifying to learn that it currently has no cure.

According to a paper published in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, as spotted by Gizmodo, the infection of this protozoan parasite known as “toxoplasmosis” is “one of the most common parasitic infectious diseases affecting humans,” and the number one “intraocular infection” — meaning inside the eyeball — on the planet.

In the research paper, a team of international scientists makes the case that toxoplasmosis meets the criteria for recognition as a “neglected tropical disease.” That designation would free up significant resources for further studies and the development of public health policy “to address the substantial burden” the parasite has on human health.

And it is substantial. Some researchers estimate that roughly one-third of humanity —roughly two billion people — is infected with the parasite, including about 60 million people in the United States alone. Though a healthy immune system can keep the worst impacts of the eye-ball dwellers in check, worst-case scenarios can include significant damage to the eyes, brain, and nervous system.

As Gizmodo notes, some research has suggested that long-term toxoplasmosis leads to personality changes in infected rodents, wolves, and humans; in the latter case, it could even raise the risk of schizophrenia. One 2020 survey of the parasite’s impact on cognition notes that the presence of the parasite in the host can upend the brain’s ability to process dopamine, “which may alter cognitive, behavioral, and motor activities.”

Justine Smith, ophthalmologist at Flinders University and one of the study’s co-authors told Gizmodo that “there is no commercially available vaccine against toxoplasmosis. And the drugs we give patients can limit a flare-up of the disease, but there is no drug that cures it at this point.”

Firmly establishing toxoplasmosis as a neglected tropical disease is key to combatting the disease, the study’s authors say, especially across the global south.

Given that poor populations are already more susceptible to parasitic infection, toxoplasmosis represents “a disproportionate burden” to those living in poverty. Because it can be passed from a pregnant mother to her child, the researchers describe a horrifying scenario where the poorest families in the world become trapped in a parasitic loop.

“Infants who survive congenital infection face lifelong health consequences, such as visual and neurologic impairments, which undermine school performance, employment opportunities, and economic participation,” the paper reads. “These negative outcomes contribute to the poverty trap that exists for other [neglected tropical diseases]: families already facing socioeconomic vulnerability absorb the long-term costs of disability, repeated medical visits, and lost income.”

"And it is substantial. Some researchers estimate that roughly one-third of humanity —roughly two billion people — is infected with the parasite, including about 60 million people in the United States alone."

This explains a lot.

No offense to the cat lovers out there but personally, I can't stand the filthy beasts. This is why they tell pregnant people not to clean out litterboxes.

 

[Kenzo]

There is several natural herbals that are effective i think , it requires several months to 6 months use thought to do it

Ginger extract
Black Walnut + Clove + Wormwood (Classic Trio)
Cryptolepis sanguinolenta
Myrrh extract
Oregano oil
Curcumin ( can cause iron deficiency )
Olive Leaf Extract
Berberine
Thymus vulgaris extract


One may notice potential toxoplasma carrier if notice person having rapid mood swings , irritability , anger burst.....thought same could be noticed also with chronic lyme disease & lyme co-infections ( babesia /bartonella ) .

 

[David64]

It wouldn't surprise me at all if my Wife and I both had this. We've had cats for many years and still do. Matter of fact, we have quite a few, but the number varies depending on how many wander up on a daily basis. Currently we have 14, but only 2 are in the house. The rest are strays that show up. Oh wait...we actually have 17 because we have 3 new kittens !

I know some people don't really like cats, but I just don't have the ability to turn away an animal. It hurts a part of my soul to see a child or animal go hungry.

 

[XXXN3O]

"I can't stand the filthy beasts"

you cannot be hating on cats like this, it's just wrong and deep down you secretly know that you love them too! They are the best thing on this earth by far, well aside from maybe their larger cousins

It's worth noting if you do gardening you are more likely to have it, than from having a cat (especially if it's an indoor cat and you look after the litter box properly)...

• Only cats who ingest tissue cysts get infected. Within the feline population, this would be limited to outdoor cats who hunt and eat rodents, as well as cats who are fed raw meat by their owners.
  It's unlikely that your cat will give you toxoplasmosis. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "people are more likely to get [toxoplasmosis] from eating raw meat or from gardening."
• Typically a cat only excretes oocystsis when they are first exposed to T. gondii and this goes on for only two weeks. An outdoor hunting cat is often exposed to the disease as a kitten and is therefore less likely to transmit the infection as they age.
• Because oocysts only become infective after one to five days, exposure to the disease is unlikely as long as you clean the cat's litter box daily.
• Since oocysts are transmitted by ingestion, in order to contract toxoplasmosis, the person would have to make contact with contaminated feces in the litter box and then, without washing their hands, touch their mouth or otherwise transmit the contaminated fecal matter to their digestive system.
  
  The likelihood of contracting toxoplasmosis

Or maybe the folks who wrote the article are infected, and this is what the parasite's want's you to think to get even more brains? Actually maybe im infected, and that's why im defending cats

 

[Freija]

Actually maybe im infected, and that's why im defending cats

Oh man! I was reading your post I was absolutely going to say this until I read your last line.

Good call on the self-diagnosis. Why else would you allow an animal to walk on your table, your countertops, sit on top of your refrigerator, hack up hairballs on your rugs and use your furniture as a scratching post?

You are definitely pwned.

 

[EndtheMadnessNow]

My cat is currently using that paper in his litter box. Nonsense he says.
My cat is strictly an indoor cat and his paws have never touched grass.
Besides, at least twice that number were infected by the Covid mind-virus & political shenanigans which have proved more harmful.

The CDC says your cat isn't the greatest threat

It's unlikely that your cat will give you toxoplasmosis. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "people are more likely to get [toxoplasmosis] from eating raw meat or from gardening."

How do cats get toxoplasmosis?

Cats can get toxoplasmosis from eating contaminated raw meat, birds, mice or soil. But cats aren't the only animals who can transmit it, they're just the only species to shed the infectious stage in their feces. Humans can contract toxoplasmosis from the infected, undercooked meat of other animals too.

Suddenly, I trust the CDC.