Comment on Anon gets /fit/
shreddy_scientist@lemmy.ml 1 month agoOf course!
- This ones about the evolutionary benefits:
The origin of risk aversion www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4273387/
- Here’s one on fatal motorcycle accidents:
Increased risk of traffic accidents in subjects with latent toxoplasmosis - a retrospective case-control study www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC117239/
- For good measure, here’s one on business owners and the parasite:
Risky business - linking Toxoplasma gondii infection and entrepreneurship behaviours across individuals and countries www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6083268/
ryannathans@aussie.zone 1 month ago
Fascinating, wonder how hard it is to cure
shreddy_scientist@lemmy.ml 1 month ago
It’s no picnic, parasites are burly! The Th2 adaptive immune response for worms, our only parasite response, is only good with small initial infections. But since the side effects are relatively mild considering all parasites, it’s not a big area of focus.
Fun fact: The same response for parasites causes allergies. You can never be allergic when it’s your first exposure either. But a less hygenic environment as a kid greatly redices the risk of developing allergies.
ryannathans@aussie.zone 1 month ago
If I have mast cell activation syndrome, am I less likely to get parasites then?
shreddy_scientist@lemmy.ml 1 month ago
Yep! Mast cells are activated when IgE antibodies bind to a mast cell receptor. When IgE then binds to the one object it was designed to find, you get mast cell degranulation. This releases histamines along with a few other chemicals. Degranulation is our immune defense against parasites, so you got a head start for parasite defense for sure! But desensitization can be achieved, which makes IgG antibodies bind to the foreign object before IgE has the chance. I’d think this could be a possible treatment for the syndrome.
Do you also have asthma? The same IgE’s also bind to eosinophil’s. Mast cell degranulation in the lungs leads to acute asthma, whereas when eosinophil’s join the party it causes airway remodeling, aka chronic asthma.