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4 wordies list
toxoplasmosis |
(n): infection caused by parasites transmitted to humans from infected cats; if contracted by a pregnant woman it can result in serious damage to the fetus
(n): the pathological state resulting from the invasion of the body by pathogenic microorganisms
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A character in Trainspotting dies from this, in combo with AIDS.
This fascinating disease was recently blamed in the news for turning women into sex kittens and men into alley cats.
The article made light of the feline terms for human behavior because the parasite normally infects mice and cats. It appears to also alter the behavior of infected mice. It is theorized that it triggers the release of dopamine in the mouse's brain when a mouse encounters the odor of a cat. Infected mice then will seek out such locations (which healthy mice avoid), presumably because the parasite wants to be eaten in order to complete it's cycle- the dopamine is a neurochemical carrot that counteracts the mouse's instinctive avoidance of cats.