ajm

There is more and more evidence gathering to suggest that certain parasites have the ability to affect their host's behaviour to further assist the lifecycle of the parasite.

Some noteable examples are:-

1) Stickleback fish infected with the tapeworm Schistocephalus Solidus exhibit a reluctance to seek cover from birds. The tapeworm relies on ingestion by a fish eating bird in order to complete the lifecycle and by making infected fish more likely to be eaten they help to further their own existence.

2) Human beings become infected by Guinea Worm by drinking water containing water fleas infected by the worm's emryos. After the worm matures the host is driven to seek water by a burning hot pain caused by chemicals the worm releases under the skin as it is about to emerge. The host finds water to relieve the pain and the worm releases embryos into the water to complete the cycle.

3) Queen bees infected by the nematode Sphaerularia bombi become unable to dig burrows in which to hibernate. They make many attempts and each time they try to dig many worm larvae are released onto the soil where they will infect other healthy bees whilst they hibernate.

4) Rats infected with Toxoplasma Gondii exhibit less cautious behaviour that makes them easier prey for cats. Some are even attracted to cat urine! Cats are a definitive host for Toxoplasma (i.e. its lifecycle depends on a stage that can only be completed inside a cat) and by making sure its host is fed it increases its own chance of propogation.

Now you are probably wondering where I am going with this, so here we go....

It has become obvious during our many "cat rant" threads on here that cat owners tend to exhibit behaviour that is uncharacteristic for them when they perceive their animal to be under threat. This unusually aggressive response can be set off by simple remarks that would be interpreted in any other scenario as perhaps tasteless yet harmless jokes. One research team has even found that schizophrenics are more likely to be cat owners!

If the parasite increases the survival chances of its definitive host by manipulating its prey, could it not also have adapted to further its own existence by manipulating its host's owners too? By aggressively defending their animals and their right to roam infected owers are fulfilling 2 roles:

1) Intermediate host for the parasite.
2) Protection of the definitive host.

scary stuff!

Leslie

I feel so much better now that I have read all that!

Les

Brendan Hughes

If I may recommend "The Third Policeman" by Flann O'Brien. You might find his Atomic Theory of Bicycles quite scarey, too.

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

You could say exactly the same about parents and their kids.

<Insert your favourite tasteless baby joke here>

ajm

I just wanted to get my ideas down in black and white as they form so when, in a few years time, more evidence has emerged to support my theory I can do a "told you so" thread

Hammy Hamster

LOL

Good point. It's the only explanation for their behaviour.

Bubba po

ajm is too intelligent for NSR, I think.

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

LMAO

All we need is an explaination about cat haters and the threads complete

ajm

LOL, good point! If the theory is sound then neither of us should be infected.
Can any scoobynetters offer some free lab time to test our blood for antibodies?

Hammy Hamster

Yes, yes.

Come join us.

Come join the Muppet Church of Scientology. Come brethren.

Geoff, you might need to get your "Pied Piper" flute out for this one.

Ratman

Ha,ha, Flann O'Brien

Each time you hit something with a hammer, some of the hammer particles join with the object particles and some of the object particles join with the hammer particles. It's the same with bicycles. The more you ride a bike and are in contact with it, the more you particles and bike particles get exchanged until you become made up of more and more bike and the bike gets made up of more and more you. Thus, you end up with more and more traits of a bicycle (like having to keep moving all the time to prevent falling over) and bikes become more human (like seeking shelter in front of a warm fire).

Substitute cats/owners above!

I enjoyed famous physicist de Selby's madness, too, in the book:

As the speed of light is finite, when you look at yourself in a mirror, you are not seeing yourself as you are, but as you were in the (very) recent past. Increasing the number of mirrors & reflections increases that time difference. de Selby set up so many mirrors that he claimed to be able to see himself as a boy!

Ratman
MY98 Wagon

Brendan Hughes

The postman - no less than 63% bicycle! A sad case...

ajm

But all the rats that followed the piper drowned! Does a similar fate await me in muppets?

Bubba po

Ah, but the children didn't, when the Piper exacted his just revenge for the townspeople reneging on his payment. They just went into another place and were never seen again....... Mwahahahahaaaaaa!

vindaloo

I think they've already proved that Toxo-whatsit is passed to humans but current thinking is that it doesn't affect behaviour.

Though there is a counter argument that reckons it promotes risk taking and unreasonably aggressive behaviour in rats. It may do the same in humans.

BTW: It resides in the brain or brain stem

J.

unclebuck

lost the plot... completely

My little parasite is waiting for her dinner, have to go....

UB

andypugh2000

Is this the reason chav-dom is becoming more widespread due to some chav worm being in the water supply of every council estate in great britain that would explain a lot

ajm

I would be interested to see your sources. Most references I have read suggest there is an effect on behaviour and that it seems to differ between males and females. Some studies suggest males become more aggressive whilst females become more promiscuous!

The oocysts can also reside in muscle tissue as well as the brain.