Here’s a frightening thought: your housecat is host to a parasite that can infect you, and in so doing affect your brain function, making you more impulsive, promiscuous, less attentive, less intelligent, and possibly suicidal. Sounds like something straight out of science fiction, but unfortunately this parasite is so pervasive that liberal estimates say that over 8 million Australians could be infected, along with upwards of 60 million Americans. Worldwide estimates of infection range into the billions.

The disease is called Toxoplasma, and it starts in rats, goes to cats, and ends up inside your freaking brain, in what seems like a very demented spin on the circle of life. When a rat is infected with Toxoplasmosis it loses all aversion to the scent of cat urine, and in fact, becomes sexually aroused by the smell. It then seeks out areas filled with cat odors, and is predictably and promptly eaten by an unsuspecting feline.

Katte inficeres derefter på lignende måde, skønt deres opførsel stort set er uændret, en hel vasketøjsliste med symptomer er blevet forbundet med sygdommen, herunder:

• Laziness
• Sadness
• Høj temperatur
• Sudden reduction in weight
• Trouble breathing
• Reduced coordination
• kramper
• Weakness
• Paralysis
• Nausea
• Loose bowels
• Reduced appetite
• Og betændelse


• However, the really scary part is how often the disease goes unnoticed because of a lack of these symptoms.
  
  Humans can catch the disease by being in close contact with cat feces which is where the ocysts, that is to say the toxoplasmosis progeny, are released after reproduction occurs inside the feline’s intestinal tract. It’s also common to catch the disease when in contact with undercooked foods, and is much more prevalent in countries with a tradition of eating such fare, like Brazil for example, which is estimated to have 67% of its total population infected with the parasite.
  
  So I know this is supposed to be a pet blog, and we’re mainly concerned with pet issues here, but are you ready to hear some really scary facts about this parasite’s effects on human behavior?
  
  Toxoplasmose påvirker den menneskelige hjernes frygtcenter, hvilket skaber en foragt for autoritet, mindre overholdelse af sociale folkemetoder og morer, en øget risiko for skizofreni, en øget risiko for at dø i en motorcykelulykke, højere selvmordsrate blandt de inficerede, øgede seksuelle niveauer promiskuitet blandt kvinder og højere frekvenser af neurotisme hos begge køn. Ironisk nok er det også mere sandsynligt, at du er god til fodbold.
  
  This psychotic protozoan is a major health concern for all of the above reasons, and is an excellent reminder to wash your hands after changing your cat litter and always before eating. Diagnosis for the disease is very difficult and not often undergone. It includes measuring t cell count in the blood stream as well as tracking the number of liver enzymes.
  
  Behandlingen anbefales heller ikke altid, da sygdommen kun er alvorlig hos patienter med svagt immunsystem. Dette gælder både for mennesker og katte. Når det behandles, er der en lang liste med lægemidler, der bruges til at gøre det, men der er mere tilgængelig i form af forebyggelse end faktisk behandling.
  
  Så der er din daglige dosis mikroskopisk rædsel. Bare husk, at du ikke altid har kontrol over dine handlinger. Undertiden planter naturen et uhyggeligt kropsligt monster i din hjerne for at hjælpe dig med at tage dumme beslutninger.