Increased risk of traffic accidents in subjects with latent toxoplasmosis (2002)(ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Increased risk of traffic accidents in subjects with latent toxoplasmosis (2002)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC117239/
77 comments
As interesting as this is, it's kind of got my spidy-sense tingling. How many non-significant outcomes did test and not publish before seeing traffic accidents? The perfect dose-dependence gives more credence (increasing odds ratio at increasing titers), although the sample size is small.
Yes, the dose-response is the interesting bit, and strong indication for causation.
Not an expert so don't know how well we understand the mechanism of action, which is crucial.
Not an expert so don't know how well we understand the mechanism of action, which is crucial.
The paper states high up that it's been well studied that Toxoplasmosis infection increases reaction time - this study was basically just showing that that laboratory-viewed metric has real-world consequences.
As far as mechanism of action, T. gondii infects both neurons in the brain and glial cells.
As far as mechanism of action, T. gondii infects both neurons in the brain and glial cells.
bmeski(5)
Now I need Progressive to pay for a round of pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine for me.
Latent toxoplasmosis is literally insidious, hidden inside body fat cells where antibiotics won't reach and only occasionally it gets out to infect more cells. So one round is not enough, you have to take antibiotics for years until all the infected cells die.
Is this accepted convention?
It sounds a lot like the explanation for chronic Lyme disease (except with nerve tissue and not fat cells), which is apparently still quite controversial despite having lots of anecdotal evidence to support it.
Also if the parasite is hiding in your fat cells, does that also mean that you can't detect it in a blood test?
It sounds a lot like the explanation for chronic Lyme disease (except with nerve tissue and not fat cells), which is apparently still quite controversial despite having lots of anecdotal evidence to support it.
Also if the parasite is hiding in your fat cells, does that also mean that you can't detect it in a blood test?
Hmm it is possible I confused it with chlamydia. In any case, if it affects behavior, there should be some chemical markers too.
Well jeez which one is it man! (Asking for a friend)
Hmm. I wonder if there is an antibiotic prodrug that would mimic glucose enough for it to be recognised by beta cells, get metabolised and release the antibiotic payload inside a fat cell.
You mean if I was TOXO free, I could be an even MORE aggressive driver? Totally going to mainline some Ivermectin.
Lots of health benefits from killing the little bugs. Bonus: It's available over the counter!
Stanford neuroendocrinology researcher Robert Sapolsky Explains Toxoplasmosis on the Joe Rogan podcast. Utterly fascinating.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NroiGfNohPo
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NroiGfNohPo
The case for devoting resources towards developing an efficient cure is becoming clear.
I wonder what BAC would generate the same effect.
There's no universe in which the answer to that question doesn't piss a lot of people off.
On one hand you remind people just how un-impaired various BACs are and that pisses them off.
On the other hand you make mildly sick people look like drunks and it becomes a potential pretext for denying people freedom of movement.
On one hand you remind people just how un-impaired various BACs are and that pisses them off.
On the other hand you make mildly sick people look like drunks and it becomes a potential pretext for denying people freedom of movement.
What you mean by how unimpaired various BACs are? I would think there would be a fairly tight curve of BAC to reaction time for an individual.
Of course most of driving is so easy that I’m sure a huge percent of the time drunk driving has no consequences, but haven’t we all been in an occasional situation that requires fast reaction to narrowly avoid a crash?
Of course most of driving is so easy that I’m sure a huge percent of the time drunk driving has no consequences, but haven’t we all been in an occasional situation that requires fast reaction to narrowly avoid a crash?
So cat owners can pay $1 per month more on their car insurance?
Cat ownership doesn't even come up as a major sources of toxoplasmosis infection when studies are done. Wild cats can have it but the source of infection is the dirt they've used, which means house cats are unrelated and no risk.
"A total of 252 women with toxoplasmosis, along with 748 controls from Naples, Lausanne, Copenhagen, Oslo, Brussels, and Milan, were interviewed by telephone or in person. Overall, eating raw or undercooked beef, lamb, or other meats; contact with soil; and travel outside the country were major sources of infection."
Cats don't even make the list of major sources of infection. Further,
"The association of cats and human toxoplasmosis is difficult to assess by epidemiological surveys because soil, not the cats, is the main culprit. Oocysts are not found on cat fur and are often buried in soil along with cat faeces.11 Therefore, direct contact with cats is irrelevant with respect to T gondii transmission, and soil contact is universal and difficult to avoid."
"A total of 252 women with toxoplasmosis, along with 748 controls from Naples, Lausanne, Copenhagen, Oslo, Brussels, and Milan, were interviewed by telephone or in person. Overall, eating raw or undercooked beef, lamb, or other meats; contact with soil; and travel outside the country were major sources of infection."
Cats don't even make the list of major sources of infection. Further,
"The association of cats and human toxoplasmosis is difficult to assess by epidemiological surveys because soil, not the cats, is the main culprit. Oocysts are not found on cat fur and are often buried in soil along with cat faeces.11 Therefore, direct contact with cats is irrelevant with respect to T gondii transmission, and soil contact is universal and difficult to avoid."
Your reminder that if you own cats that don't go outdoors they are not a risk factor for toxoplasmosis. Only outdoor and stray cats get the parasite. Most cases of toxoplasmosis come from eating undercooked meat in any case.
More info here if you want it https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1118145/
More info here if you want it https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1118145/
There's no way for the parasite to know whether it's inside or outside. There are many ways that it can travel to an indoor location outside of a cat.
Here's a more recent meta-analysis.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S00144...
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S00144...