5 ms·

It would be interesting if the disease caused the host to be inclined to spread it.

by booleandilemma 7y ago

im3w1l 7y ago
Colds make people more social I've heard, so doing that would be plausible.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
judge2020 7y ago
There's only a few studies on this I could find via some google & google scholar: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/darwins-subterranean-world/201801/does-the-flu-trick-people-being-sociable https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/darwins-subterranean... https://evesdrift.com/2014/01/01/change-in-human-social-behavior-in-response-to-a-common-vaccine-flu-vaccine/ https://evesdrift.com/2014/01/01/change-in-human-social-beha... https://scholar.google.com/scholar?cites=13499859159231836935&as_sdt=80005&sciodt=0,11&hl=en https://scholar.google.com/scholar?cites=1349985915923183693...
invisiblerobot 7y ago
Syphillis does that. Lowers the hosts inhibitions and increases their risk seeking behaviour.
Reedx 7y ago
There's a parasitic fungus that does this with insects. It takes over, compelling the host to move to a location where the fungus can reproduce. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vijGdWn5-h8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vijGdWn5-h8
- alasdair_ 7y ago
  This is also the plot hook for The Last of Us, a superbly-crafted game for the PS3/4.
  - arcticbull 7y ago
    And soon to be HBO show! [1] [1] https://www.techradar.com/news/the-last-of-us-hbo-tv-show https://www.techradar.com/news/the-last-of-us-hbo-tv-show
    - alasdair_ 7y ago
      Fantastic! Thanks for letting me know!
sangnoir 7y ago
I'm assuming you mean beyond inducing the host to aerosolize infectious fluids via sneezing and coughing. Here's a fun fact: Toxoplasma gondii causes rats to like cats (feces) instead of fearing them, making them prone to being eaten by cats - which is great for the parasite as it reproduces in cat's alimentary system. Incidentally, humans with Toxoplasmosis are over-represented in traffic accidents, which may suggests some of that recklessness effect carries over.
- anonu 7y ago
  > humans with Toxoplasmosis are over-represented in traffic accidents huh?
  - kittiepryde 7y ago
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5619715/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5619715/ Study, 'Significance of chronic toxoplasmosis in epidemiology of road traffic accidents in Russian Federation'
nickcox 7y ago
Like rabies?
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
narrator 7y ago
This was in the story "saviour of the plague years" in a 1995 Wired magazine futurist fiction compilation. They called the desire to run around and spread the disease the "Hong Kong Jog."
sangnoir 7y ago
The guinea worm spreads via drinking egg-infested water. When the parasite becomes fully developed in the human body, it migrates to the skin where it causes blisters accompanied by burning pain. The pain induces the host to immerse the boil in water; immediately relieving the pain - and allowing the parasite to release its eggs for the next host to drink.

It would be interesting if the disease caused the host to be inclined to spread it.

im3w1l 7y ago

Colds make people more social I've heard, so doing that would be plausible.

deleted 7y ago
[deleted]

judge2020 7y ago

There's only a few studies on this I could find via some google & google scholar: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/darwins-subterranean-world/201801/does-the-flu-trick-people-being-sociable https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/darwins-subterranean... https://evesdrift.com/2014/01/01/change-in-human-social-behavior-in-response-to-a-common-vaccine-flu-vaccine/ https://evesdrift.com/2014/01/01/change-in-human-social-beha... https://scholar.google.com/scholar?cites=13499859159231836935&as_sdt=80005&sciodt=0,11&hl=en https://scholar.google.com/scholar?cites=1349985915923183693...

invisiblerobot 7y ago

Syphillis does that. Lowers the hosts inhibitions and increases their risk seeking behaviour.

Reedx 7y ago

There's a parasitic fungus that does this with insects. It takes over, compelling the host to move to a location where the fungus can reproduce. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vijGdWn5-h8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vijGdWn5-h8

alasdair_ 7y ago
This is also the plot hook for The Last of Us, a superbly-crafted game for the PS3/4.
- arcticbull 7y ago
  And soon to be HBO show! [1] [1] https://www.techradar.com/news/the-last-of-us-hbo-tv-show https://www.techradar.com/news/the-last-of-us-hbo-tv-show
  - alasdair_ 7y ago
    Fantastic! Thanks for letting me know!

sangnoir 7y ago

I'm assuming you mean beyond inducing the host to aerosolize infectious fluids via sneezing and coughing. Here's a fun fact: Toxoplasma gondii causes rats to like cats (feces) instead of fearing them, making them prone to being eaten by cats - which is great for the parasite as it reproduces in cat's alimentary system. Incidentally, humans with Toxoplasmosis are over-represented in traffic accidents, which may suggests some of that recklessness effect carries over.

anonu 7y ago
> humans with Toxoplasmosis are over-represented in traffic accidents huh?
- kittiepryde 7y ago
  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5619715/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5619715/ Study, 'Significance of chronic toxoplasmosis in epidemiology of road traffic accidents in Russian Federation'

nickcox 7y ago

Like rabies?

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

narrator 7y ago

This was in the story "saviour of the plague years" in a 1995 Wired magazine futurist fiction compilation. They called the desire to run around and spread the disease the "Hong Kong Jog."

sangnoir 7y ago

The guinea worm spreads via drinking egg-infested water. When the parasite becomes fully developed in the human body, it migrates to the skin where it causes blisters accompanied by burning pain. The pain induces the host to immerse the boil in water; immediately relieving the pain - and allowing the parasite to release its eggs for the next host to drink.