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The parasite Toxoplasma makes rats lust for cat pee and people drive motorbikes
- eli 16y agoExcellent Radio Lab episode on this and other parasites: http://www.wnyc.org/shows/radiolab/episodes/2009/09/25 http://www.wnyc.org/shows/radiolab/episodes/2009/09/25
- ComputerGuru 16y agoThe TFA asks "how do you test for Toxo" - the answer: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/food-poisoning/toxoplasmosis-test?page=2 http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/food-poisoning/toxoplasmos... That article really made me shudder: A small literature is coming out now reporting neuropsychological testing on men who are Toxo-infected, showing that they get a little bit impulsive. … And then the truly astonishing thing: two different groups independently have reported that people who are Toxo-infected have three to four times the likelihood of being killed in car accidents involving reckless speeding I have a cat (and have always had one) and am in constant close contact (she's literally in my lap non-stop while I'm at home) and I sometimes (often?) forget to clear the cat litter for days (yuck, I know). And I have this thing where I always feel I'm simply not going fast enough while on the road (140kmph on mountain roads is normal for me during my 90km one-way daily commute). Am I just overreacting (traditional self-diagnosis) or is this really worth looking into?
- tptacek 16y agoThe likelihood that you're accurately judging the origins of your driving behavior from your keyboard while a cat is on your lap after reading an article like this is 0.0%. I have a dog in the room with me. Let me help you out. You are not a toxo zombie, 'ComputerGuru.
- ComputerGuru 16y agoHehe. I feel much better already ;)
- thrdOriginal 16y agoUnless you live in France, where 88% of the population are carriers... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasmosis#In_humans http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasmosis#In_humans
- mkramlich 16y agohow do we know that the Toxo parasite isn't making you say that? ;)
- tptacek 16y agoALL GLORY TO THE HYPNO-ZOITE.
- blasdel 16y agoI suggest we all go to the Brain Slug planet -- just walk around, not wearing a helmet.
- ahoyhere 16y agoFunny, but you guys are making a classic logical mistake: mocking a potentially serious problem because it seems to have a completely mundane and boring source (housecats). If the article was about how taking a medicine for high blood pressure increased the risk of death by car accident by 5x, or if flying in a plane the past week increased the risk of death by car accident 5x, or anything more obscure and unusual, you'd be all over it.
- Goladus 16y agoI think the mocking is not the mundane and boring source, rather the logic of "I drive fast, and I have a cat so it must be toxo." That's unsound logic, no matter how mundane or extraordinary the housecat is, because habitual fast driving happens for any number of reasons of which toxoplasma gondii is possibly one.
- tptacek 16y agoIt's also unsound logic that is clearly a result of watching and reading an especially vivid piece on the fascinating mechanations of toxo. If I read a piece on the symptoms of spleen cancer, I'm going to think I have that ailment too; it's just how my brain works.
- deleted 16y ago[deleted]
- jodrellblank 16y agoParasite infected or not, there's something wrong when a hundred and forty thousand miles per hour still isn't fast enough On the plus side, you've got your 90km commute below 1.5s, which is quite an achievement.
- sliverstorm 16y agoA little bit of speeding is frankly just a guy thing. Believe me, you can get a lot crazier than 140kph. There's some popular roads near where I live where motorcyclists allegedly routinely exceed 160kph by a good margin, and we're not talking the straightish kind. Best I ever did was ~130 in a (admittedly outdated) track-prepped car. However, with the prevalence of the parasite, I suspect spending a lot of time near cats is reasonable cause for suspicion, esp if they are mousers/ratters. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol9no11/03-0098.htm http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol9no11/03-0098.htm ^ allegedly 10-20% of Americans may have toxo, and I've heard some 20-30% households have cats. Obviously not EVERYBODY has it, but take a 1 in 5 chance and then introduce a risk factor? I wouldn't just dismiss it out of hand.
- ComputerGuru 16y agoOh 140 is just the normal "I'm bored and want to get home already" speed during semi-flat stretches. I've done up to 180, but only when alert and confident of the road and the surroundings.
- rjett 16y agoHow many people are tested annually for toxo and in which situations would someone be tested for toxo? Dr Sapolsky tells some interesting stories but the skeptic in me wonders how someone can take such a seemingly small independent variable like the presence of toxo in humans and suggest it affects certain specific behaviors like driving aggressively. To be fair, he stops short of establishing any sort of causation, but his implications certainly allow him to weave a fascinating story. Is it safe to assume that telling a good story helps one garner support for funding research?
- liedra 16y agoI actually had to have a test for it as part of my working visa application to Belgium. I thought it was really weird, and so did my doctor!
- Luc 16y agoSounds like someone along the line made a mistake - toxoplasmosis isn't infectious between humans (except mother to baby) and shouldn't be included in these test. Typically syphilis and tuberculosis are tested for, plus any additional infectious diseases depending on where you are from. Perhaps the test was to make sure you already have it, so you would better fit in with us raw-meat-eating Belgians :)
- carbocation 16y agoToxo is one of the TORCH infections so pregnant women are often tested for it.
- raquo 16y agoObligatory: http://xkcd.com/719/ http://xkcd.com/719/
- watmough 16y agoYou got me. ex-Biker, sometime-speeder and cat-attendant.
- sdh 16y agohmm, if i were a MotoGP rider I would so be getting a cat right now.