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Why does Toxoplasmosis Gondii bother infecting humans? What is its endgame with people? (self.askscience)

submitted 2 months ago by Cock_Inspecting_Asexual to c/askscience

12 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I'm researching all of this, and it seems cats are the main(?) host for T. gondii. And yet it can infect humans as well. As far as I know, it does (sometimes) virtually nothing except either maybe give you schizophrenia or make you a "Risk-taking Asshole" for lack of a better term. What is even the purpose of doing this to infected humans??? WHY??? What kind of parasite infects a human with the only real side effect of "I'm just gonna make you gamble a lot and give you road rage."

Obviously there's other, more serious side effects. But I truly don't understand what its goals are once it comes into contact with humans. Are we just another body to them? A scenario of "Oh well im in this human now so... Guess I better get comfy or whatever."

Keep in mind I'm aware the Parasite isn't like a person, it doesn't just "do stuff" the way we humans do. It can't really think. My confusion stems from why it even bothers evolving just enough to be able to infect humans in the first place. Why doesn't it just stick with cats? And when it does infect humans, why does it just- not do anything half the time? It's like it only infects people Internally just to mildly inconvenience them.

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[–] angrystego 22 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

There's no end game with people, there's just an end. We're not a suitable host, it's just an unlucky coincidence when they infect us. The creature doesn't ask us to consume it, but we sometimes do anyway, in spite of it.

[–] Cock_Inspecting_Asexual 2 points 2 months ago

The Toxoplasmosis in my body after it hatches from its dormant stage. (I've just consumed 200mg of weed and a shot of brandy, yit has no idea what it's in for.)