Cat parasite found in Arctic Beluga

The cat parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which can cause blindness in people, has been identified in Beluga in the western Arctic.

The discovery by University of British Columbia scientists has prompted a health advisory to Inuit people in the region who eat the whale's meat.

Researchers say it is an example of how the warming of the Arctic is allowing the freer movement of pathogens.

Source (BBC)

Another one for the global warming propaganda, dont blame the weather, blame the cats that carries the parasite. they first say its a problem caused by lack of ice in the arctic and them they say this

Quite how the parasite got into the whales is a puzzle that scientists are now trying to solve.

If you dont know you dont know. does the wales were tested before for the parasite?

They suspect the influx of cats to the Arctic brought in as pets will have imported the pathogen.

Does global warming brings cats with it?

Fourteen percent of the tested whales were carrying the infection

Maybe they where usin the cats as bait to catch the whales

Best way to attack human race is through their pets. We are different from our ancestors who had domestic animals which all had a duty and served their tasks. Now we have many pets and those are our family members more than ever.

reply to post by Indigent




Stupid.

Yeah climate change causes diseases to survive in regions they might not normally .

But we are talking a species jump here!

They are just throwing climate change out here just to be part of the "cool crowd".

nm only warm blooded animals I guess..

Anyways we should be more tested on this parasite.

''Over 30 % of human population is infected''.

reply to post by crazyewok


Yeah what have to do climate change with more people living everywhere , that's the reason more cat feces are reaching the ocean, not climate change

Or maybe this parasite has existed in whales and other species for quite some time, and just now they are discovering it because they are testing it?

The parasite is also found in rats and monkeys.

I believe what the suggestion is implying is that this is possible due to the rise in temperatures up in the arctic (don't forget that for the first time ever one could sail a ship through the middle of it in the last few years)

I'm not going to argue about global warming, but I will point out that my city became the hottest city in the world this year, suffered 2 major heat waves, had 12 days in a month over 40 deg celsius with some them getting to a scorching 47. This was directly followed by a 20 degree temperature drop and the most rain in a single day in 45 years. We received between 1/4 to 1/2 in some places around the state of our average yearly rainfall in a summer month where is it not unusual to get no rain at all. Even in winter, which is our traditional rainy season this would have been a lot of rain, but for it to happen in summer is plain weird.

So yeah, pathogens taking advantage of new and unusual situations sounds quite believable to me. The fact that the beluga has a pathogen endemic to cats had nothing to do with cats and more to do with the environment i.e. it's found a way to live outside cats and pass on to a new totally unrelated species.

reply to post by Skadi_the_Evil_Elf

It's a whale parasite which other mammals have been exposed to.
Yeah. That's the ticket!

Plugin
nm only warm blooded animals I guess..

Anyways we should be more tested on this parasite.

''Over 30 % of human population is infected''.

edit on 15-2-2014 by Plugin because: (no reason given)

i have read the figure 70% of adult humans tested were positive for the infection in france ? found that online

nasty little parasite that one takes over the will of the host and makes it self destruct itself but when it reaches the top of the food chain a creature with no real enemy and a complex brain of mammal top half and reptillian lower when the signal kill yourself comes the lower brain will ignore it causing confusion and repeated signals

i wonder at the dementia cases going from 2.5-4 % to a expected 40-50% of the population nice easy way of culling the herd and o so easy if you control the food chain .

i wonder at all the biologists that have died over the years wordwide were they all related

Skadi_the_Evil_Elf
Or maybe this parasite has existed in whales and other species for quite some time, and just now they are discovering it because they are testing it?

The parasite is also found in rats and monkeys.

70% of the adults in france who have it will love to be compared to rats and monkeys but hey if it is in your genes poor frogs i say

Skadi_the_Evil_Elf
Or maybe this parasite has existed in whales and other species for quite some time, and just now they are discovering it because they are testing it?

The parasite is also found in rats and monkeys.

I think your hypothesis might hold significant weight. The connection between this parasite and cats is due to the fact that the parasite is only able to sexually reproduce in intestines of members of the cat family. Once the initial stage of development has occurred zygote-containing cysts known as oocystsm these oocysts are shed from the cat's intestines in their feces.

Once shed these oocysts can spread to soil, water, food, plants or anything that might come in contact with the feces they can survive and infect for many months, even in colder environments. Ingestion of these oocysts by any warm blooded animal or human is a common mode of infections, humans can become infected by eating unwashed vegetables, eating undercooked or contaminated meat, failing to wash their hands or utensils after handling uncooked contaminated meat.

Toxoplasmosis Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) From The CDC

What is toxoplasmosis? A single-celled parasite called Toxoplasma gondii causes a disease known as toxoplasmosis. While the parasite is found throughout the world, more than 60 million people in the United States may be infected with the Toxoplasma parasite. Of those who are infected, very few have symptoms because a healthy person's immune system usually keeps the parasite from causing illness. However, pregnant women and individuals who have compromised immune systems should be cautious; for them, a Toxoplasma infection could cause serious health problems.

How do people get toxoplasmosis?

A Toxoplasma infection occurs by:

Eating undercooked, contaminated meat (especially pork, lamb, and venison).
Accidental ingestion of undercooked, contaminated meat after handling it and not washing hands thoroughly (Toxoplasma cannot be absorbed through intact skin).
Eating food that was contaminated by knives, utensils, cutting boards and other foods that have had contact with raw, contaminated meat.
Drinking water contaminated with Toxoplasma gondii.
Accidentally swallowing the parasite through contact with cat feces that contain Toxoplasma. This might happen by
cleaning a cat's litter box when the cat has shed Toxoplasma in its feces
touching or ingesting anything that has come into contact with cat feces that contain Toxoplasma
accidentally ingesting contaminated soil (e.g., not washing hands after gardening or eating unwashed fruits or vegetables from a garden)
Mother-to-child (congenital) transmission.
Receiving an infected organ transplant or infected blood via transfusion, though this is rare.

From Wikipedia regarding the demographics of infections along with other interesting information

Toxoplasma gondii (tŏk'sə-plāz'mə gŏn'dē-ī') is an obligate, intracellular, parasitic protozoan that causes the disease toxoplasmosis.[1]

Found worldwide, T. gondii is capable of infecting virtually all warm-blooded animals.[2]

In humans, it is one of the most common parasites;[3] serological studies estimate that up to a third of the global population has been exposed to and may be chronically infected with T. gondii, although infection rates differ significantly from country to country.[4] Although mild, flu-like symptoms occasionally occur during the first few weeks following exposure, infection with T. gondii generally produces no symptoms in healthy human adults.[5][6] However, in infants, HIV/AIDS patients, and others with weakened immunity, infection can cause serious and occasionally fatal illness (toxoplasmosis).[5][6]

Infection in humans and other warm-blooded animals can occur by consuming raw or undercooked meat containing T. gondii tissue cysts[7]

by ingesting water, soil, vegetables, or anything contaminated with oocysts shed in the feces of an infected animal[7]

from a blood transfusion or organ transplant

or transplacental transmission from mother to fetus, particularly when T. gondii is contracted during pregnancy[7]

Based on the the various modes of transmission for this parasite, in my opinion calling it a "Cat Parasite" is a bit of a misnomer, sure it's life begins in the intestines of cats but beyond that initial phase pretty much any mammal could become infected by it and spread it as a secondary host.

I like everyone post but my paranoia makes me wonder about the neutrality of the ones that haves cats on their avatar

reply to post by Indigent


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