this post was submitted on 13 May 2024
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[–] [email protected] 65 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (28 children)

I had to look up toxoplasmosis since it doesn't actually sound like anything good. In typical 4Chan style he's confidently used it completely incorrectly

From the CDC website: "Toxoplasmosis is considered to be a leading cause of death attributed to foodborne illness in the United States. More than 40 million men, women, and children in the U.S. carry the Toxoplasma parasite, but very few have symptoms because the immune system usually keeps the parasite from causing illness. However, women newly infected with Toxoplasma during or shortly before pregnancy and anyone with a compromised immune system should be aware that toxoplasmosis can have severe consequences.

Toxoplasmosis is considered one of the neglected parasitic infections of the United States, a group of five parasitic diseases that have been targeted by CDC for public health action."

After further reading it also appears the only way you would get it from a cat would be by directly handling their feces...

[–] [email protected] 34 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (8 children)

Ohh, parasitology is fascinating! I highly recommend it for anyone who likes biology.

My absolute favorite are the tape worms like Taenia solium (pork tapeworm). It's the type of worm that "ate" a portion of RFK's brain. It wasn't really a whole worm but it was probably an egg that he ate in undercooked meat that traveled up his body and calcified in his brain. As Rebecca Watson points out, it's the leading cause of epilepsy worldwide.

Fun nerd facts: They have a spiky head that clings to the intestine and they absorb nutrients through their tegument (their skin). These fuckers are hermaphroditic with hundreds and hundreds of ovaries and testes within the same worm and the bodies are made of individual worm eggs (proglotids) that share a nervous system. That's why they come apart so easily, because each proglotid is its own individual worm that can self-inseminate!

General anatomy:

Look at all those testes and ovaries!

[–] [email protected] 13 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Damn that's terrifying. Good reason to quit pork imo. I like chicken better anyway.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 5 months ago

Just make sure to wash your hands, disinfect vegetables and cook meat thoroughly. Lots of parasites can be transmitted this way, it's not just pork!

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