What Does Cats Have To Do With It?
70T. gondii - It is Everwhere!
Toxoplosmosis
50% of the world is infected. Some areas are almost 100% infected. Toxoplasmosis (toxo) is an infection caused by a single-celled parasite called Toxoplasma gondii, or also known as T. gondii. T. gondii is the third leading cause of foodborne illness resulting in death in the U.S.
There is No Cure!
It was first discovered in 1908 in a hamster looking rodent called the gundi. It remained as a curiosity until T. gondii was identified in tissues of a congenitally infected infant. T. gondii was still not recognized as a worldwide concern.
In 1957, huge flocks of sheep in New Zealand were aborting. All were infected with T. gondii. Even then, no research was done on T. gondii.
In 1970, the life cycle of T. gondii was determined to use felines (cats) as part of their reproductive phase. T. gondii must live in a cat to reproduce. Cats are the definitive hosts.
Recent discoveries of sea mammals, including whales, sea otters, claims, oysters indicate cat feces being washed into the seas. It is thought anchovies are the carriers to the Arctic…
Only recently has T. gondii been discovered to cause worldwide changes in our cultures, implicated in schizophrenia, increases car wrecks (2.5 times when infected), all motorcycle wrecks riders are infected, infected women attract males. Males become passive and a host of other behaviors.
What Does Cats Have To Do With It?
Cats get toxoplasmosis (T. gondii) from eating contaminated raw meat, birds, mice or soil. One can be infected with T. gondii from cats. However cats are not the only animals that can transmit it, they are just the only species to shed the infectious stage in their feces.
Most humans are infected with T. gondii by eating undercooked meat. One can get infected from water. Most water treatment plants do not eradicate T. gondii.
An example: A community outbreak of toxoplasmosis in western Canada prompted extensive epidemiological investigations. It was discovered felines (cats and mountain lions) were the causes. The Humpback Reservoir, identified during the investigation as the most likely source of T. gondii oocysts, supplied one of the two municipal drinking water treatment plants. T. gondii has also been discovered in wells.
There is worldwide contamination of drinking water with infectious T. gondii. There is a lack of standardized and quantitative methods for detection of T. gondii oocysts in water also limits research on the transport and fate of this pathogen through aquatic habitats.
Water treated with chlorine, ozone and ultraviolet radiation treatments on the infectivity of Toxoplasma gondii oocysts are not effective. Most sewage dumped into the ocean have T. gondii and is not eradicated. Sewage dumped into the California State Water Project with 25 million people drinking the water has T. gondii.
Related artical: http://dallas93444.hubpages.com/hub/newbook
http://dallas93444.hubpages.com/hub/What-is-the-Big-Deal-T-gondii-Changes-Human-Behaviors
http://dallas93444.hubpages.com/hub/T-Gondio-Most-of-Us-Have-It
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CommentsLoading...
TheManWithNoPants,
Jim, my new found knowledge is from research writing my book, Eyes Wide Shut: An Enigma. I was not aware of the parasite to hijack ourselves and change our behaviors.
Only recently has T. gondii effects become known...
My concern is a single protein in the T. gondii DNA has been identified as the causative agent in changing behaviors.
E. Coli 20 years ago was a "bad bug." (Still can be)... However, by using scientific methods, the bad bug now makes human insulin! This was huge...
Can you image the possibilities if a select few discovered how to manipulate T. gondii DNA to produce desired human behaviors? The power, the unlimited possiblilites are scary...
It is the nexis of my book: Leadership that is not accountable... How good leaders become corrupt with power... with hidden agendas: hidden in plain sight.
Glad you are not hearing any voices!
As you noted, cats that are kept away from feral cats and are not subjected to eating undercooked meat will not become infected.
The fact that there is no cure is scary. I am sure in the near future, there will be found a cure for T. gondii. It will be a major breakthrough...
T. gondii is closely related to malaria...
Dallas, what causes you to think there will be a cure for T. gondii in the near future?
femmeflashpoint,
They have isolated gold nano particles that stop the virulence of T. gondi in rats... Also there are other trials that look promising...
Glad to be warned. I don't have cats and we do cook our meat but one never knows.
dahoglund,
Cats are great. I do not hate cats! One must be aware and alert...
As you noted, making sure meat is cooked prevents the the number one source of T. gondii...
Thanks for your comments!
Quite a scary account with the T. gondii being found in so many places and no cure as yet. We have 2 inside cats but at one time they were outside before "adopting" us. Good tip to recommend cooking meat so that it is not raw. I used to love steak tartare! Happy to report...not hearing any voices yet!
Peggy W,
I enjoy having a committee and inviting all of my internal "friends!"
The body of knowledge concerning T. gondii is recent and expanding.
An interesting thought is perhaps the flu virus directs our behaviors to replicate itself. An Example: The flue symptoms are coughing (spreads the virus), sneezing (ditto) and runny nose... our hands spread the virus...
Thanks for your comments!
TheManWithNoPants Level 7 Commenter 7 months ago
Good stuff my friend. My two cats have never been outside, and I eat my meat well done, so hopefully I'm cool. No voices yet either.
This was very interesting. Never heard it until now, and I thank you for getting the research done and putting it out there!
jim