Toxoplasma gondii and Personality Changes

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering the biological nature, transmission, and psychological impacts of the Toxoplasma gondii parasite based on research by Dr. Nicky Boulter.

Toxoplasma gondii

A common parasite belonging to the kingdom Protista that infects about $40$ per cent of the global population and possesses mind-altering properties.

Transmission methods

Human infection primarily occurs through eating raw or undercooked meat containing cysts or ingesting parasite eggs excreted by infected cats.

Nicky Boulter

An infectious disease researcher at the Sydney University of Technology who reported on the divergent effects of Toxoplasma infection in men and women.

Impact on pregnant women

The parasite is dangerous during pregnancy as it can result in disability or the abortion of the unborn child.

Psychological effects on men

Infected males exhibit lower IQs, shorter attention spans, lower educational achievement, and a higher tendency to break rules and take risks.

Psychological effects on women

Infected females tend to be more outgoing, friendly, and promiscuous, and are generally deemed more attractive to the opposite sex.

Rodent behavioral changes

Infected mice take risks that increase their chance of being eaten by cats, a behavior that is reversed when treated with drugs that kill the parasites.

Car accident risk factor

Asymptomatic infected individuals are $2.7$ times more likely to be involved in a car accident as either a driver or a pedestrian compared to uninfected people.

Schizophrenia link

Research has associated the presence of the Toxoplasma gondii parasite with higher incidences of this specific mental health disorder.

Kingdom Protista

The biological kingdom to which the parasite Toxoplasma gondii belongs.