Mice may Lose Fear of Cats if Contacted with Parasites

Potentially dead parasite, also known as Toxoplasma gondii has a strange effect on mice which makes them unafraid of the smell of cats, according to the Science Recorder.

A new study shows that even a brief infection with a weakened form of the protozoan caused mice to permanently lose their innate fear of cats. The protozoan is known to cause this change in mice after a lingering infection and after it produces cysts in the mouse brain, according to the study, published online Sept. 18 in the journal PLOS ONE. 

But until now scientists didn't know this apparently long-lasting change could occur after only a short infection, and without development of cysts and brain inflammation. The study also showed the change occurred with weakened forms of all three major variants of the protozoa found in North America.

"It is remarkable that even after the infection has been largely or completely cleared, a profound behavioral change persists," said Wendy Ingram, a study author and researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, in a statement from PLOS ONE.

"Simply having a transient infection resulting in what is potentially a permanent change in host biology may have huge implications for infectious disease medicine." Ingram isn't sure the mechanism involved in the long-term behavior change, though she speculates the parasite may disrupt the smell region of a mouse's brain, preventing the rodent from detecting cat odor that would trigger the fear.

Another possibility is that the parasite directly modifies mouse brain cells that are linked to memory and learning.Toxoplasma gondii is found throughout the world and infects a large number of mammals, including humans.