– In the 2 days immediately after influenza immunization, study participants socially encountered almost twice as many other humans as they did in the 2 days before immunization CHRIS REIBER, PHD, MPH, ERIC C. SHATTUCK, MS, SEAN FIORE,… Read More ›
Toxoplasma gondii
Parasite makes mice lose fear of cats permanently
Behavioural changes persist after Toxoplasma infection is cleared. Eliot Barford 18 September 2013 Mice infected with toxoplasmosis lose their instinctive fear for the smell of cats — and the parasite’s effects may be permanent. Wendy Ingram/Adrienne Greene A parasite that… Read More ›
Study turns parasite invasion theory on its head: Malaria vaccine may be destined to fail
Contact: Jen Middleton j.middleton@wellcome.ac.uk Wellcome Trust Current thinking on how the Toxoplasma gondii parasite invades its host is incorrect, according to a study published today in Nature Methods describing a new technique to knock out genes. The findings could have… Read More ›
Common parasite may trigger suicide attempts – “seven times more likely to attempt suicide”
Contact: Jason Cody, Media Communications, Office: (517) 432-0924, Cell: (734) 755-0210, Jason.Cody@cabs.msu.edu; Lena Brundin, College of Human Medicine, Office: (616) 234-0996, lena.brundin@hc.msu.edu EAST LANSING, Mich. — A parasite thought to be harmless and found in many people may actually… Read More ›
Brain parasite directly alters brain chemistry
A research group from the University of Leeds has shown that infection by the brain parasite Toxoplasma gondii, found in 10-20 per cent of the UK’s population, directly affects the production of dopamine, a key chemical messenger in the… Read More ›
Engineering Evil 