There may be a manipulative creature in your brain that is reproducing wildly, and the most terrible thing is that you don't notice it at all, this is not a bridge in a science fiction movie, this is a real thing.
The creature is called Toxoplasma gondii, and about 1/3 of the world's human brains now unconsciously carry this parasite. And some experts say that this parasite is secretly controlling human consciousness, intending to manipulate human beings, changing people's personalities and behaviors, and even cultural differences between different races, and they are inseparable from them.
The most successful parasite on the planet?
Toxoplasma gondii, also known as Gondii and Trichoderma, is a very small, simple structure of the protozoa parasite. Toxoplasma gondii can infect all the cells in our bodies, invade the nucleus, replicate itself like crazy, and most of the world's animals can be its hosts, and Toxoplasma gondii is even called the most successful parasite on Earth.
In 1908 , Toxoplasma gondii was found in North African rodents , but it didn't attract attention. In 1920, the world's first confirmed case of infection with Toxoplasma gondii appeared, the first human infection with Toxoplasma gondii on the mainland was in 1940, and so far, cases of Toxoplasma gondii have been reported in various provinces of our country.
A research team did such an experiment: compared mice infected with Toxoplasma gondii with mice that were not infected with Toxoplasma gondii, and found that mice infected with Toxoplasma gondii were more energetic and exercised twice as much as normal mice.
Not only that, scientists also found that the rat infected with Toxoplasma became very "bold", because this mouse was unusual, walked to the cat's nest and frantically tried, the cat saw the mouse and came out to prepare to attack, but the mouse on the side showed no fear, not only did not run away, but also constantly posed a provocative posture.
There is no doubt that the final result is that the mouse is eaten by the cat, and the mouse's "suicidal" behavior is puzzling, is this not an initiative to feed the cat, and later scientists found that the toxoplasmosis mouse has been pursuing a smell, that is, cat urine.
Some people speculate that Toxoplasma gondii will change their dopamine release mechanism in the body of mice, so that rats become excited, active, and very eager for risk-taking behavior, thus losing their innate fear of cats, and even being deeply attracted by the smell of cat urine, and finally taking the initiative to deliver to the door, called cat food.
Such a result is not only unbelievable, but also extremely frightening. Because according to relevant studies, the ultimate only host of Toxoplasma gondii is felines, because only in the body of felines can they reproduce sexually and achieve true reproduction.
That is to say, the cat eats the mouse infected with Toxoplasma gondii, and the toxoplasma multiplies in the cat's body and is excreted with the cat's feces, and then infects pigs, cattle, sheep, birds, and then people, just like a cycle.
Does it have an impact on your health?
After being infected with Toxoplasma toxoplasma gondii, the clinical manifestations of people are very complex, the severity of the disease is completely different, for patients with strong immunity, after infection with Toxoplasma gondii, most of them are hidden infections, only about 20% of patients will have clinical symptoms, mainly manifested as lymphadenopathy.
However, for patients with weakened immunity, the clinical manifestations will be very serious, and even serious infections of the whole body, encephalitis, epilepsy and mental abnormalities will appear.
If the pregnant woman is infected with Toxoplasma gondii during pregnancy, not only the pregnant woman itself will be affected, the fetus will not escape the disaster, Toxoplasma gondii can infect the fetus through the placenta, if it is infected with Toxoplasma gondii in the first trimester, it will cause abnormal fetal development, in this case the fetus is easy to miscarry, even if it is saved, the probability of various deformities is also very large. If toxoplasmosis infection is in the middle or late stages, it can cause congenital toxoplasmosis infection in the fetus.
According to a study published in the journal Scientific Reports, through systematic analysis and study of the human brain infected with Toxoplasma gondii, it was found that Toxoplasma gondii and brain diseases were particularly closely linked. Although in most cases, Toxoplasma gondii does not cause much harm to the human body and does not show any abnormality, but the transmission force can not be underestimated, it crosses the blood-brain barrier, with blood throughout the body.
Some of the infected people have become grumpy and even schizophrenic. Men infected with Toxoplasma gondii become more extroverted and have a sense of adventure that they did not have before, while women will become more gentle and charming, but both men and women will have a common trait, that is, they love cats or no longer have resistance to cats.
Seeing this, we can't help but wonder that people's love for cats seems to be innate, and if you think about it, it may not be just because of this, because felines are the ultimate host of Toxoplasma gondii, will it be Toxoplasma toxoplasma control our brains and keep us close to cats?
Can it lead to suicidal tendencies?
Because infection with Toxoplasma gondii can cause problems with people's mental condition, scientists have found that countries with high rates of Toxoplasma gondii infection tend to have higher suicide rates. This conclusion has also been published in the relevant articles on the Electronic Platform of Science Popularization China, the China Digital Science and Technology Museum.
To confirm this conjecture, the scientists tested 4500 women, and the results were unexpected, 54% of women infected with Toxoplasma gondii were even suicidal, and the probability of successful suicide was very high.
It is worth mentioning that the relationship between suicide and Toxoplasma gondii exists even in women who have no history of mental illness, and these suicidal women are more likely to try profiteering suicide methods, such as using knives and guns, etc., and they are no longer afraid of death, which is not the same reason driven by rats provoking cats - toxoplasma gondii.
These results are frightening, but also worrying, that toxoplasm parasitism in our brains will not only affect our physical health, but also disturb our thinking, affect our personality, destroy our spiritual world, and ultimately cause irreparable endings.
However, some scientists have stressed that there is a correlation between Toxoplasma gondii and suicide, but not a causal relationship, and the results need further research by scientists.
Can it be cured?
It doesn't seem like a serious disease, it is really fatal, and once it is diagnosed with Toxoplasma gondii, it is necessary to receive treatment immediately. Because at present, a vaccine for the prevention of Toxoplasma gondii infection has not been developed, and the current treatment is to control the development of the disease through drugs.
However, if you use these drugs for a long time, the side effects are also obvious, in today's developed level of medical technology, we can only control the development of Toxoplasma gondii infection, to achieve a complete cure, there is a certain degree of difficulty.
In addition to timely treatment, prevention is also very important, Toxoplasma to spread through cats is not so simple, Toxoplasma is mainly with the cat's feces are excreted, so shovelers must pay attention to hygiene and timely hand sanitation when working. After all, 30% of the world's population is infected with Toxoplasma gondii, and it's hard to predict whether you'll be one of them or the next.
Resources
[1] The horror of toxoplasma that manipulates personality may cause people to suicidal tendencies ———— China Digital Science and Technology Museum