Jaroslav Flegr

Watch out for Toxo! Jaroslav Flegr

Parasites have uncanny ways of manipulating their host species, but we rarely see ourselves as the objects of manipulation. However, that view suffered a blow recently with the wildly increasing number of discoveries suggesting that we are as susceptible to parasitic manipulation as any other animal. Professor Jaroslav Flegr describes the rich history of discoveries of the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii's influence over the human psyche, behavior and physical state. The lifelong and insofar incurable latent infection by this parasite afflicts roughly a third of the world population and in some countries even the vast majority of their people. Two decades of research primarily at the Faculty of Science of the Charles University in Prague, but also top American and British institutions (Stanford, Baltimore, Oxford) showed that Toxoplasma influences personality traits of infected people, increases their reaction times and the risk of a traffic accident, and changes the sex ratio among children of Toxo positive women. New research also suggests that Toxoplasma may be responsible for many cases of schizophrenia and perhaps several other disorders as well. The book is also a fascinating window into the methodology of science and contains useful information for anyone who wants to peer deeper into the world of science.