<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="27" > review</h1>
To say what is the most precious right for a person, I believe many people will answer: freedom of will. You can be penniless or imprisoned, but only the world in your head is free and unrestrained. If a person loses even this little freedom, he can only be described as a walking dead. In our film and television works, there are many disaster films, all of which depict the terrible world after the human consciousness is manipulated. The most popular is the zombie film.
Tips: Viruses are non-cellular life forms that must be parasitic and replicated in living cells in order to proliferate. Viruses have no metabolic mechanism of their own, and without the host cell, they become chemicals that have no life activity and cannot reproduce independently.
According to the setting, this is all a kind of unknown virus that invades the human body before everyone's temperament changes greatly. Aside from looking cool, we basically understand that this kind of thing is impossible to encounter in reality. But in real life, there is indeed such a being that can manipulate the consciousness of others, the most common of which is parasites. What's even more chilling is that some parasites can even infect humans!
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="27" >What is a parasite that manipulates consciousness? </h1>
Parasites that manipulate their hosts usually target small organisms such as insects. The purpose of their invasion is very clear, that is, to rely on the food chain to complete their reproductive journey. Two of the most famous examples are the color cymbidium fluke and the clematis.
Tips: Snails are the most common mollusks on land, and they have high edible and medicinal value. According to relevant records, there are 40,000 species of snails around the world.
First, let's talk about the color cymbidium fluke, a bug that parasitizes in snails and grows very large in snails. The snail's body is inherently translucent, so this colored parasite is particularly conspicuous in the snail's body. When the cymbals are mature, they manipulate the snails to do something that looks crazy. For example, let the snails climb up to the branches of the high places and attract birds to hunt in the sun.
At the same time, the brightly colored coleus fluke will constantly wriggle at the snail's eye handle, further attracting predators. Eventually, snails are eaten by birds, while coleus flukes lay eggs in the birds' intestines. These larval eggs will fall on the leaves along with the bird's excrement, and if the snail happens to encounter a fece-stained parasite during feeding, it will be parasitized into a new cycle.
Tips: Snails mostly live in dark and damp areas such as forests, shrubs, orchards, vegetable gardens, farmland, parks, gardens, temples, mountains, flat lands, hills and other places. It feeds mainly on plant stems, leaves, flowers, fruits and roots.
Such parasites that manipulate the host are organisms that can achieve their own goals by destroying the host's nervous system. A more famous example is clematis, which can parasitize the body of a praying mantis. The parasitic praying mantis will like to approach the water source, at which point the clematis will emerge from the mantis body, swim back into the water to lay eggs, infect some small insects, and then parasitize the praying mantis through the food chain again.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="27" > parasite that can parasitize humans, Toxoplasma gondii</h1>
Tips: The food chain is also known as the "nutrition chain.". It is a chain of links between organisms in an ecosystem in which various organisms must feed on other organisms in order to maintain their own life activities.
As can be seen from the two examples above, these parasites seem to be only interested in special animals and see them as intermediate hosts for development and as the ultimate host for laying eggs. Because only in this way can these parasites complete their mission of reproduction. In this way, we seem safe, but in fact, in nature, there are such parasites that can infect most organisms, including humans. It's the toxoplasmosis.
Tips: Human parasites are parasites that host people. It can be divided into two categories: internal parasites and external parasites. Most are protozoa, linear, flat, link and arthropods.
Unlike the two parasites we introduced earlier, its adults are very small, so they can stay in the host's nucleus to suck nutrients, so they are called intracellular parasites. Under the microscope, these bugs look like hunchbacked rod-like bacteria, hence the name. Its reproductive method is very special, not only can it replicate itself like a bacterium, that is, asexual reproduction, but also can spawn for sexual reproduction.
Tips: Asexual reproduction does not involve germ cells, does not require a fertilization process, and directly forms a new individual's reproductive mode from a part of the mother. This mode of reproduction is more common in single-celled animals and low-level multicellular animals.
However, only after toxoplasma gondii enters the cat's body will it enter the intestinal system and begin sexual reproduction. Therefore, whether or not it runs to the ultimate host of the cat, toxoplasma gondii will live comfortably in the other intermediate hosts, and even multiply in large quantities.
As a zoonotic parasitic disease, it is transmitted to humans in a variety of ways. The most common is the cat's feces, if there are cat owners at home, when shoveling feces, we must pay attention not to direct contact, and the cleaning tools must be cleaned frequently to ensure that they are not infected.
Tips: Kittens, stray cats, free-range cats, and poorly resistant cats are all susceptible to parasites and are susceptible to transmission to humans. The four most common parasites in cats are toxoplasms and lice, fleas and ticks.
In addition, we eat beef, lamb will also be present in this parasite, all kinds of poultry, rabbits and rats are found in the body of the toxoplasma gondii traces. Also, if the mother is infected with the parasite, the fetus in her stomach will also be transmitted by the blood in the placenta and parasitized by Toxoplasma gondii.
According to the survey, 33% of people may already be infected with this parasitic disease. And this is only a cursory survey, whether this proportion will be higher, no one knows. Of course, the question that worries us the most is what kind of impact this parasite that can manipulate consciousness will have on us.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="27" how does > toxoplasma gondii affect mice? </h1>
Tips: The transmission routes of parasites are very extensive, mainly contact infection, inhalation infection, autoinfection, retrograde infection, biological factors, natural factors, and social factors.
To study this problem, we must first focus on mice, because according to the food chain, this parasite should only infect mice and cats at the beginning, only in this way can to complete the cycle of sexual reproduction. So studying the effects of Toxoplasma gondii on the intermediate host, that is, mice, is of great significance to us.
Tips: In 1900, the French physician and parasitologist Laveran discovered toxoplasma gondii from sparrows. Research on tropical diseases, particularly protozoal diseases, including trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis and malaria, has had a significant impact.
According to earlier studies, Toxoplasma gondii has similar mental control abilities to mice and rabbits. Infected mice and rabbits are no longer afraid of felines, so they are more likely to be eaten by felines.
It seems to be similar to the colored cricket flukes mentioned earlier. But manipulating such small animals is much more complicated from a neurological point of view, and how exactly does a group of small parasites accomplish this mission?
Tips: The scientific journal Cell has documented the effects of Toxoplasma gondii on mice.
Recently, researchers at the University of Geneva published a paper in the scientific journal Cell that examined in detail the effects of Toxoplasma gondii on mice. They found that toxoplasma gondii deprived rats of the ability to fear and turned a blind eye to any threat that would kill them. Therefore, the previous statement that felines were not afraid was wrong, and mice infected with parasites should be described as not afraid of heaven.
Tips: Mice have two olfactory organs that can smell things, one of which is the nose we know, and the other is the plow nose. Through the plow nose, the mouse can not only perceive the information of the same kind, but also perceive the presence of the cat pheromone and perceive the danger in advance.
According to previous studies, infected mice would like to smell cat urine, but researchers in Geneva have also overturned this claim. Rats who have done experiments before have never been in contact with cats, so they are curious about the smell of cat urine and will keep smelling. The rats began to become more fond of exploring the unknown, even turning a deaf ear to lessons learned.
Under normal circumstances, if rats find a place with their companions upside down, most of them will choose to avoid it, because there is a high probability that there is an unknown danger in this place. But infected rats will fearlessly approach their fallen companions and explore around. As a result, the researchers concluded that infected mice became more adventurous in behavior. This is not a good thing for rats, because not being afraid of death means that they are more likely to be caught and eaten by predators.
Tips: The cerebral cortex is the highest center that regulates or controls somatic movement, and can be responsible for body language, vision, and somatic movement
As for why rats exhibit such phenomena, the researchers found the reason when dissecting the mice. Toxoplasma gondii causes specific rejection responses in the cerebral cortex of mice.
It may sound like it's fighting against parasite invasion, but instead the parasite takes advantage of the symptoms of rejection, namely inflammation and swelling. If this immunity is too intense, it can lead to permanent damage to the animals themselves.
Tips: There are two ways to transfer information between neurons: one is through electrical signals, the other is through neurotransmitters, and the latter is more common.
In the nerves of animals, there are nerves that control excitement and there are nerves that inhibit excitement. Our emotions, as well as our decisions, are carried out under the mutual restraint between the two kinds of nerves.
To take a simple example, alcohol can paralyze people's inhibitory nerves, so drunk people will be speechless, even crying and laughing. If Toxoplasma gondii inflames the nerves that inhibit exploration, the mice will act fearless.
Tips: Neurodegenerative disease is a dysfunction that occurs as a result of the loss of neurons and or their myelin sheaths, which worsen over time.
This behavioral disorder due to partial neurodegeneration is a more common term in medicine called neurodegenerative disease. In our case, this is mostly due to trauma.
For example, some people suddenly change their temperament after a car accident, or are moody, all because of some nerve damage. More severe, you will suffer from terrible degenerative lesions such as aphasia.
So the question is, how much does toxoplasmosis affect people? Can it manipulate people's consciousness?
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="27" what happens to people infected with Toxoplasma gondii >? </h1>
In fact, the earliest discovery of Toxoplasma gondii was in the body of some newborns. The harm of this parasite to immune adults is not obvious. However, newborns infected by their mothers have become the hardest hit areas of toxoplasmosis.
Especially in premature babies, their immunity is not yet fully developed, so Toxoplasma gondii will multiply in large numbers in newborns, encroaching on any tissue and organ, resulting in a variety of diseases. It is also possible for pregnant women to weaken their immunity during pregnancy, leading to fetal malformations, premature births and even miscarriages.
Tips: Psychological nervousness, anxiety and other psychological fatigue and negative pessimism can lead to reduced immunity, in addition, eating too many staple foods, eating too many carbohydrates leads to low immunity Immune system damage, decreased function, over time will form diseases.
Studies have shown that the incidence of this parasitic disease in newborns is about 12%, and most of them lead to developmental deformities or even death. After treatment, the cases that eventually survive are often accompanied by permanent sequelae.
Among them, 80% of children show mental development disorders, which have a variety of symptoms, some have language disorders, some have ADHD or autism, and so on.
Tips: Cerebral edema refers to the pathological phenomenon of increased water in the brain, resulting in an increase in brain volume. It can cause intracranial hypertension to damage brain tissue, and is clinically common in neurological diseases, such as head trauma, cerebrovascular disease, seizures, and systemic diseases such as toxic dysentery and severe pneumonia.
The most common of these is visual impairment, accounting for about 50% of sequelae. These are all diseases caused by cerebral edema, calcification, and even hydrocephalus caused by Toxoplasma gondii. This is just a disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii in the brain of the newborn, if it involves the whole body, then the baby is likely to die of complications such as fever, myocarditis, jaundice, hepatosplenomegaly and so on.
Tips: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the global population has an infection rate of about 25% to 50%, which means that there are more than 2 billion toxoplasmosis infections worldwide.
From the current observation, the toxoplasmosis in the immune body, will only lurk and wait for the opportunity. For example, if someone suffers from an immune disease and is in a weak state, Toxoplasma gondii will begin to multiply in large numbers of asexual and cause serious diseases similar to those of premature babies, so if you are infected with Toxoplasma gondii, you may not get sick for the rest of your life, and you may also become the last straw that crushes the camel when you are weak. However, studies have shown that Toxoplasma gondii can also affect people's emotions during the latent stage of the human body.
Tips: Toxoplasma gondii will have symptoms after infection with the human body, but there are also many hidden infections, becoming asymptomatic carriers, these patients are often after the body's immune function is low after the recurrence of the disease, the performance of systemic infection again, the specific incubation stage is inconclusive.
In the United States, a survey of women surveyed the physical condition of 45,000 Danish women and found that women infected with toxoplasmosis had a 1.5 times higher risk of suicide than those who were not infected.
And most importantly, most of these sick women are cat owners. In addition, some studies have shown that after infection with Toxoplasma gondii, women will show more enthusiasm for outsiders, while men will be more dull. However, these studies are widely accepted by the academic community, and whether Toxoplasma gondii will change our behavior is still a topic worth studying.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="27" > conclusion</h1>
Tips: Serological testing is a clinical procedure by which a definitive diagnosis of most antigen-antibody diseases can be made by the serum of the patient. Clinically, through the laboratory serum test, hepatitis B five, hepatitis C antibody, mycoplasma antibody, and tumor markers and other related tests can be done.
Having said so much about the harm of Toxoplasma gondii, I believe that everyone has a general and clear understanding of it.
Despite the danger, we don't have to worry too much, because whether we are infected with Toxoplasma gondii can be judged by testing the serum. Then, as long as you follow the doctor's instructions and actively use medicine, you can kill toxoplasma gondii in the body.
The most important thing is the usual precautions. For example, you can't eat raw food, livestock and poultry meat, you must eat cooked food. If you have a cat at home, don't let it catch a mouse to eat, don't feed raw food, be sure to feed cooked food, or buy finished cat food.
In addition, it is best not to sleep with the cat in its arms, the parasite on its body can be transmitted to humans through close contact. Of course, the most important thing is the expectant mothers. Be sure to make adequate preparations, active obstetric examinations, and regular serological monitoring, you can kill the harm of Toxoplasma to the fetus in the cradle. Also remember not to eat kebabs and half-cooked custard products during pregnancy. Children are our greatest hope in this life, for their healthy growth, why do more tests?