Fatal attraction in rats infected with Toxoplasma gondii
Fatal attraction in rats infected with Toxoplasma gondii
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DOI：
10.1098/rspb.2000.1182
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发表时间：
2000-08-07
影响因子：
4.7
通讯作者：
Macdonald, DW
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Berdoy, M;Webster, JP;Macdonald, DW
我们测试的假设，寄生虫弓形虫操纵其中间大鼠宿主的行为，以增加其被猫，其猫科最终宿主捕食的机会，从而确保其生命周期的完成。在这里，我们报告说，虽然大鼠已经进化出了反捕食者回避的地区与猫的存在，T。刚地的操纵似乎改变了老鼠对猫捕食风险的感知，在某些情况下，它们天生的厌恶变成了轻率的吸引。这种行为变化的选择性表明，这种无处不在的寄生虫巧妙地改变了其中间宿主的大脑，以提高捕食率，同时使其他行为类别和一般健康状况保持不变。这与许多其他宿主-寄生物系统经常出现的严重障碍形成对比。我们讨论了我们的研究结果，其潜在的影响，无论是弓形虫病的流行病学和人类和其他哺乳动物的焦虑和认知过程的神经基础。
We tested the hypothesis that the parasite Toxoplasma gondii manipulates the behaviour of its intermediate rat host in order to increase its chance of being predated by cats, its feline definitive host, thereby ensuring the completion of its life cycle. Here we report that, although rats have evolved anti-predator avoidance of areas with signs of cat presence, T. gondii's manipulation appears to alter the rat's perception of cat predation risk, ill some cases turning their innate aversion into an imprudent attraction. The selectivity of such behavioural changes suggests that this ubiquitous parasite subtly alters the brain of its intermediate host to enhance predation rate whilst leaving other behavioural categories and general health intact. This is in contrast to the gross impediments frequently characteristic of many other host-parasite systems. We discuss our results in terms of their potential implications both for the epidemiology of toxoplasmosis and the neurological basis of anxiety and cognitive processes in humans and other mammals.