Parasites in Fiction and Fact
I’ve been watching the X-Files, and several episodes involve parasites which take control of humans, usually causing the host to do violent things to further spread themselves. These episodes were quite good, but I never thought that the phenomenon was especially plausible.
It turns out I was wrong. As reported by the New Scientist the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii affects the brains of mice in a horrifyingly precise manner. The parasite’s life-cycle involves multiple hosts, and it can only complete the cycle if the mouse it infects is eaten by a cat. T. gondii alters the brain of a mouse so as to cause it to lose all fear of cats, while still reacting normally to other dangers. It thus ensures that the mouse will meet its end in the jaws of a cat, allowing the parasite to spread itself.
Leave a Reply