[Human] Rage Disorder Linked with Parasite Found in Cat Feces

RV_ · March 30, 2016

Did the movie Alien scare you?

Invasion of the body snatchers?

OK folks, I am an ex Medical Laboratory Technologist who worked with Parasitic infection diagnosis through blood, urine, and other bodily fluid, tissue, incubation, tests and microscopy. Tapeworms and roundworms I thought were pretty bad. We never had cats since our first one, when we were first married. It was run over by a car. I realized it went into the litter box and up on our food prep countertops and dining tables, and that was that - no more cats.

It is also sexually transmitted.

This tiny organism controls our behavior. An alien organism bore into our brains and starts to make us do what insures it can survive.

This article is in the current issue of Scientific American and has been extensively peer reviewed. Because no one wanted to believe it was true. It has passed from hypothesis to fact.

Excerpt:

"Toxoplasmosis may alter brain chemistry in people exhibiting bouts of explosive anger

Uncontrollable, explosive bouts of anger such a road rage might be the result of an earlier brain infection from the toxoplasmosis parasite, an organism found in cat feces, a new study finds.

In the study of more than 350 adults, those with a psychiatric disorder called Intermittent Explosive Disorder, or IED, were twice as likely to have been infected by the toxoplasmosis parasite compared with healthy individuals with no psychiatric diagnosis.

The study adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that toxoplasmosis — usually a mild or nonsymptomatic infection from a protozoan parasite called Toxoplasma gondii — may somehow alter people's brain chemistry to cause long-term behavior problems. Previous studies have linked toxoplasmosis to schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, impulsivity and suicidal behavior."

The full article with the authors and researchers is here: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/rage-disorder-linked-with-parasite-found-in-cat-feces/

Toxoplasmosis infections may range from asymptomatic to fatal.

More science about it here in the Wikipedia as it is more geared to the lay person, but is factual: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasmosis

From the CDC it is one of the five Neglected Parasitic Infections or NPIs: http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/npi/

From the Toxoplasmosis page from the CDC:

"Toxoplasmosis is caused by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. In the United States it is estimated that 22.5% of the population 12 years and older have been infected with Toxoplasma. In various places throughout the world, it has been shown that up to 95% of some populations have been infected with Toxoplasma. Infection is often highest in areas of the world that have hot, humid climates and lower altitudes.

Toxoplasmosis is not passed from person-to-person, except in instances of mother-to-child (congenital) transmission and blood transfusion or organ transplantation. People typically become infected by three principal routes of transmission.

Foodborne [undercooked or raw meats]
Animal-to-human (zoonotic)
Mother-to-child (congenital)
Rare instances

Foodborne transmission

The tissue form of the parasite (a microscopic cyst consisting of bradyzoites) can be transmitted to humans by food. People become infected by:
Eating undercooked, contaminated meat (especially pork, lamb, and venison)

Accidental ingestion of undercooked, contaminated meat after handling it and not washing hands thoroughly (Toxoplasma cannot be absorbed through intact skin)

Eating food that was contaminated by knives, utensils, cutting boards, or other foods that had contact with raw, contaminated meat

Animal-to-human (zoonotic) transmission

Cats play an important role in the spread of toxoplasmosis. They become infected by eating infected rodents, birds, or other small animals. The parasite is then passed in the cat's feces in an oocyst form, which is microscopic.

Kittens and cats can shed millions of oocysts in their feces for as long as 3 weeks after infection. Mature cats are less likely to shed Toxoplasma if they have been previously infected. A Toxoplasma-infected cat that is shedding the parasite in its feces contaminates the litter box. If the cat is allowed outside, it can contaminate the soil or water in the environment as well.

People can accidentally swallow the oocyst form of the parasite. People can be infected by:

Accidental ingestion of oocysts after cleaning a cat's litter box when the cat has shed Toxoplasma in its feces

Accidental ingestion of oocysts after touching or ingesting anything that has come into contact with a cat's feces that contain Toxoplasma

Accidental ingestion of oocysts in contaminated soil (e.g., not washing hands after gardening or eating unwashed fruits or vegetables from a garden)

Drinking water contaminated with the Toxoplasma parasite

Mother-to-child (congenital) transmission

A woman who is newly infected with Toxoplasma during pregnancy can pass the infection to her unborn child (congenital infection). The woman may not have symptoms, but there can be severe consequences for the unborn child, such as diseases of the nervous system and eyes.

Rare instances of transmission

Organ transplant recipients can become infected by receiving an organ from a Toxoplasma-positive donor. Rarely, people can also become infected by receiving infected blood via transfusion. Laboratory workers who handle infected blood can also acquire infection through accidental inoculation."

That CDC resource for Toxoplasmosis infections is here: http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/toxoplasmosis/epi.html

This is the first time I'd heard of behavioral survival controls in brain chemistry by a parasite.