From: "Mark" 

Ted Nugent was right after all?

Seriously though, all those tips sound like the standard safety procedures
to avoid salmonella from chicken, so shouldn't be anything new for any
responsible cook -- does make one want to eat in more often than out
though.

"Rich Gauszka"  wrote in message
news:43f0dd1e{at}w3.nls.net...
> It looks like cats can only spread Toxoplasma via their feces.
>
> The CDC reports that more than 60 million Americans are infected
>
> http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/toxoplasmosis/factsht_toxoplasmosis.h
tm
> No, cats only spread Toxoplasma in their feces for a few weeks following
> infection with the parasite. Like humans, cats rarely have symptoms when
> first infected, so most people do not know if their cat has been infected.
> The infection will go away on its own; therefore it does not help to have
> your cat or your cat's feces tested for Toxoplasma.
>
> How can I prevent toxoplasmosis?
>
> There are several general sanitation and food safety steps you can take to
> reduce your chances of becoming infected with Toxoplasma.
>
> Wear gloves when you garden or do anything outdoors that involves handling
> soil. Cats, which may pass the parasite in their feces, often use gardens
> and sandboxes as litter boxes. Wash your hands well with soap and water
> after outdoor activities, especially before you eat or prepare any food.
>
> When preparing raw meat, wash any cutting boards, sinks, knives, and other
> utensils that might have touched the raw meat thoroughly with soap and hot
> water to avoid cross-contaminating other foods. Wash your hands well with
> soap and water after handling raw meat.
>
> Cook all meat thoroughly; that is, to an internal temperature of 160ø F
> and until it is no longer pink in the center or until the juices become
> colorless. Do not taste meat before it is fully cooked.
>
>
>
>
> "Gary Britt"  wrote in message
> news:43f0d833{at}w3.nls.net...
>> As a cat owner with one cat that regularly eats wild mice, it concerns me
>> that cats are a prevalent carrier.
>>
>> I'd be interested if you get more info on it, and what it takes to kill
>> the
>> parasite, etc.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Gary
>>
>> "Rich Gauszka"  wrote in message
>> news:43f0b963$1{at}w3.nls.net...
>>> Start with Cheney - keep all shotguns away from him temporarily at least
>> :-)
>>>
>>> Ideology aside - that half the worlds population is affected by
>>> Toxoplasma
>>> parasites  is interesting. I wonder if there are any studies by
>>> geographic
>>> location?
>>>
>>>
>>> "Gary Britt"  wrote
in message
>>> news:43f0ac7e{at}w3.nls.net...
>>> > Bush is a dog person.  The common thread in all of this is the host
>>> > engages
>>> > in behavior calculated to lead to its death.  In other
words the hosts
>> are
>>> > trying to commit suicide.  This would explain not neocon
behavior, but
>>> > liberal neo surrender monkey behavior.  They are trying to do
>>> > everything
>>> > they can to interfere with their defense in the face on
an intractable
>> and
>>> > deadly enemy (i.e., they are trying to commit suicide).  Maybe we
>>> > should
>>> > start testing Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Cindy Sheehan, everyone at
>>> > Daily
>>> > KOS, Monte, etc for these parasites.
>>> >
>>> > Gary
>>> >
>>> > "Rich Gauszka" 
wrote in message
>>> > news:43efa227{at}w3.nls.net...
>>> >> Maybe the neocons have a valid excuse. The Toxoplasma
didn't like
>> Saddam?
>>> >>
>>> >>
http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20060211/sc_space/mindcontrolbyparasites
>>> >>
>>> >> Mind Control by Parasites
>>> >>
>>> >> Half of the world's human population is infected with
Toxoplasma,
>>> > parasites
>>> >> in the body-and the brain. Remember that.
>>> >> Toxoplasma gondii is a common parasite found in the
guts of cats; it
>>> >> sheds
>>> >> eggs that are picked up by rats and other animals
that are eaten by
>> cats.
>>> >> Toxoplasma forms cysts in the bodies of the
intermediate rat hosts,
>>> >> including in the brain.
>>> >>
>>> >> Since cats don't want to eat dead, decaying prey,
Toxoplasma takes
>>> >> the
>>> >> evolutionarily sound course of being a
"good" parasite, leaving the
>> rats
>>> >> perfectly healthy. Or are they?
>>> >>
>>> >> Oxford scientists discovered that the minds of the
infected rats have
>>> >> been
>>> >> subtly altered. In a series of experiments, they
demonstrated that
>>> >> healthy
>>> >> rats will prudently avoid areas that have been doused
with cat urine.
>> In
>>> >> fact, when scientists test anti-anxiety drugs on
rats, they use a
>>> >> whiff
>>> >> of
>>> >> cat urine to induce neurochemical panic.
>>> >>
>>> >> However, it turns out that Toxoplasma-ridden rats show no such
>> reaction.
>>> > In
>>> >> fact, some of the infected rats actually seek out the cat
>>> >> urine-marked
>>> > areas
>>> >> again and again. The parasite alters the mind (and
thus the behavior)
>> of
>>> > the
>>> >> rat for its own benefit.
>>> >>
>>> >> If the parasite can alter rat behavior, does it have
any effect on
>>> >> humans?
>>> >>
>>> >> Dr. E. Fuller Torrey (Associate Director for
Laboratory Research at
>>> >> the
>>> >> Stanley Medical Research Institute) noticed links
between Toxoplasma
>> and
>>> >> schizophrenia in human beings, approximately three
billion of whom
>>> >> are
>>> >> infected with T. gondii:
>>> >>
>>> >>   a.. Toxoplasma infection is associated with damage
to astrocytes,
>> glial
>>> >> cells which surround and support neurons. Schizophrenia is also
>>> >> associated
>>> >> with damage to astrocytes.
>>> >>   b.. Pregnant women with high levels of antibodies
to Toxoplasma are
>>> >> more
>>> >> likely to give birth to children who will develop
schizophrenia.
>>> >>   c.. Human cells raised in petri dishes, and infected with
>>> >> Toxoplasma,
>>> > will
>>> >> respond to drugs like haloperidol; the growth of the
parasite stops.
>>> >> Haloperidol is an antipsychotic, used to treat schizophrenia.
>>> >> Dr. Torrey got together with the Oxford scientists, to see if
>>> >> anything
>>> > could
>>> >> be done about those parasite-controlled rats that
were driven to hang
>>> > around
>>> >> cat urine-soaked corners (waiting for cats).
According to a recent
>> press
>>> >> release, haloperidol restores the rat's healthy fear
of cat urine. In
>>> > fact,
>>> >> antipsychotic drugs were as effective as
pyrimethamine, a drug that
>>> >> specifically eliminates Toxoplasma.
>>> >>
>>> >> Are parasites like Toxoplasma subtly altering human
behavior? As it
>> turns
>>> >> out, science fiction writers have been thinking about
whether or not
>>> >> parasites could alter a human being's behavior, or
even take control
>>> >> of
>> a
>>> >> person. In his 1951 novel The Puppet Masters, Robert
Heinlein wrote
>> about
>>> >> alien parasites the size of dinner plates that took
control of the
>> minds
>>> > of
>>> >> their hosts, flooding their brains with neurochemicals. In this
>> excerpt,
>>> >> a
>>> >> volunteer strapped to a chair allows a parasite to be
introduced; the
>>> >> parasite rides him, taking over his mind. Under these
conditions, it
>>> >> is
>>> >> possible to interview the parasite; however, it
refuses to answer
>>> >> until
>>> >> zapped with a cattle prod.
>>> >>
>>> >>   He reached past my shoulders with a rod. I felt a shocking,
>> unbearable
>>> >> pain. The room blacked out as if a switch had been
thrown.. I was
>>> >> split
>>> >> apart by it; for the moment I was masterless.
>>> >>
>>> >>   The pain left, leaving only its searing memory
behind. Before I
>>> >> could
>>> >> speak, or even think coherently for myself, the
splitting away had
>> ended
>>> > and
>>> >> I was again safe in the arms of my master...
>>> >>
>>> >>   The panic that possessed me washed away; I was
again filled with an
>>> >> unworried sense of well being...
>>> >>
>>> >>   "What are you?" "We are the
people... We have studied you and we
>>> >> know
>>> > your
>>> >> ways... We come," I went on, "to bring you
peace.. and
>>> >> contentment-and
>>> >> the
>>> >> joy of-of surrender." I hesitated again;
"surrender" was not the
>>> >> right
>>> > word.
>>> >> I struggled with it the way one struggles with a poorly grasped
>>> >> foreign
>>> >> language. "The joy," I repeated, "-the
joy of . . .nirvana." That was
>> it;
>>> >> the word fitted. I felt like a dog being patted for
fetching a stick;
>>> >> I
>>> >> wriggled with pleasure.
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >> Still not sure that parasites can manipulate the
behavior of host
>>> > organisms?
>>> >> Consider these other cases:
>>> >>
>>> >>   a.. The lancet fluke Dicrocoelium dendriticum
forces its ant host
>>> >> to
>>> >> attach to the tips of grass blades, the easier to be
eaten. The fluke
>>> > needs
>>> >> to get into the gut of a grazing animal to complete
its life cycle.
>>> >>   b.. The fluke Euhaplorchis californiensis causes
fish to shimmy and
>>> >> jump
>>> >> so wading birds will grab them and eat them, for the
same reason.
>>> >>   c.. Hairworms, which live inside grasshoppers, sabotage the
>>> > grasshopper's
>>> >> central nervous system, forcing them to jump into
pools of water,
>>> >> drowning
>>> >> themselves. Hairworms then swim away from their
hapless hosts to
>> continue
>>> >> their life cycle.
>>> >>
>>> >> Not all science-fictional parasites are harmful; read about the
>> Crosswell
>>> >> tapeworm from Brian Aldiss' 1969 story Super-Toys
Last All Summer
>>> >> Long
>>> > (the
>>> >> basis for the Kubrick/Spielberg film AI), which keeps
people who
>> overeat
>>> >> from becoming obese. Not to mention robots based on
parasites. Read
>> press
>>> >> release on evidence for link between Toxoplasma and
schizophrenia,
>>> > Suicidal
>>> >> grasshoppers. Story via blogger Carl Zimmer and his readers.
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >
>>> >
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>

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