For cat lovers everywhere....

GuanYin

Interesting parasite called Toxoplasma gondii is now thought to infect 65% of the worlds population.

It infects most mammals, although its natural host is in cats, where it can replicate and this is the source of human infections (cat faeces).

It was recently thought to be aymptomatic in humans, except in rare cases where it can cause miscarriage or brain defects in unborn foetus. However recent studies believe that it may impair otor skills and reactions times.

In test it was found thouse infected with Tox. gondii reacted 8% slower than uninfected people. As the experiments went on, those infected got progressively worse, suggesting attention span may be effected.

Researchers tested 146 people deemed "at fault" in motor related accidents (drivers and predestrians) againts 446 control subjects. Tox. gondii infections were significantly higher in the accident group.

This is a worrying correlation to studies on rats that found Tox. gondii positive rodents. It was found that infected rodents lost their instinctive wariness and are more active. Incredibly they seemed attracted to cat urine.

The reason behind this seems to be completion of the tox. gondii life cycle. A slower less aware rodent is an easy meal for a cat, giving the parasite a ticket into its natural host. If it effects humans in a similar way, the implications for many trade industries is huge.

Anyone been tested?


References

BMC Infectious Diseases vol2 p 11

Parasitology, vol 122, p 515

simu

Err, no. Would the typical GP have even heard of this?

GuanYin

Most would know of Toxoplasma gondii and the dangers to pregnant women (very small). I dunno how many read parasitology journals though.

The ones I know are skeptical but interested. Its by no means clear cut, but an interesting area no less.

simu

I had heard of pregnant women being warned to stay away from cats allright.

What is the treatment for a person who is tested positively?

So, do you think public awareness of this should be raised the way it has been for e coli , salmonella etc? That tests should be advertised?

Or would this just lead to paranoia and needless worry? There are a lot of threats out there for human beings and it seems to me that the way some of them are given publicity and so on is a bit random. At the same time, I don't know an awful lot about how these sorts of things are classified. Do GPs/medical departments in unis/the dept. of health have regular conferences where they decide that awawreness of danger X must be raised whereas danger Y presents a lesser threat? How do GPs change from being sceptical to accepting a test as standard procedure?

GuanYin

Originally posted by simu
What is the treatment for a person who is tested positively?

Because its was generally thought to be asymptomatic up til now, there is no treatment really. Like I said, two thirds of the world population are thought to be infected so its well past epidemic proportions as a disease. However money and research focus tends to be spent on things that kill you quickly, or at least have the decency to be blatant about harming you.

Originally posted by simu
So, do you think public awareness of this should be raised the way it has been for e coli , salmonella etc? That tests should be advertised?

Personally I think that really depends on what it does. Despite the initial research, noone knows how profound the effect (if it is real) is and what actual implications it has on day to day life. If it was found that those infected were significantly more likely to have an accident in the workplace or on the road the implications would be huge. Think of the industries at risk, aviation, transport, factory machinery, construction etc. would all be in turmoil.
Its a long way from that stage yet, as the data so far is preliminary and has small specific sample groups. It would be a while before thye could definitively say anything either way, but those in the know says its being watched very closely.

Originally posted by simu
Or would this just lead to paranoia and needless worry? There are a lot of threats out there for human beings and it seems to me that the way some of them are given publicity and so on is a bit random. At the same time, I don't know an awful lot about how these sorts of things are classified. Do GPs/medical departments in unis/the dept. of health have regular conferences where they decide that awawreness of danger X must be raised whereas danger Y presents a lesser threat? How do GPs change from being sceptical to accepting a test as standard procedure?

Its a bit of a tricky one. GPs are generally swayed by anything that tends to kill lots of people quickly. That sort of thing tends to make a very convincing argument. GPs would attend conferences regularly enough and also would be in contact with the NDSC, WHO, Dept. of Health and occasionally the CDC through mailing lists and whatnot.

The thing about this is that, if it is an actual issue, its so well hidden that its hard to figure out its scope or pin it down. Something that delays your reflexes or causes attention deficit can't easily be monitored. A driver could crash for any number of reason, maybe he was blinded by a glaring light on a rainy winter evening, but who is to say that an toxo infection would or would not have made a difference to him in those circumstances.

At the end of the day, it will all come down to a good deal of statistical evidence, and thats what raises the skeptics.

How would you feel if one day you were tested positive and found your car insurance premium doubles and you become ineligible for a few different jobs.....

DriftingRain

What I have known about Toxoplasma gondii has been in immunocompromised patients. Esp. AIDS patients. I think the risk of infection through cats is rare. It is easier to get the Cat Scratch Fever from Bartonella Henselae by playing with your kitty. Overall BEWARE OF YOUR KITTY CAT!

~DR~