In 2016 scientists found a parasite is able to manipulate the behaviour of its chimpanzee hosts, making them morbidly attracted to the odour of their only natural predator. Toxoplasma gondii is a tiny single-celled cat parasite that also infects a range of other mammals and birds as intermediate hosts, forming cysts in their brains and other […]
Tag: toxoplasmosis
Polar Bears at Higher Risk of Contracting Some Pathogens
As the environment warms, polar bears are more likely to contract several pathogens than they were three decades ago. In a study published in PLOS ONE, researchers looked for antibodies for six pathogens in blood samples taken from polar bears in the Chukchi Sea from 1987-1994 and from 2008-2017. They found that five of the […]