News in Brief: Mice lose cat fear for good after infection

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Mice may permanently shed a fear of felines when infected with a parasite. The effects linger long after the parasites disappear, a study shows.

src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgLpRIufaf8Teh6Y9-Dvg1wYYxVk475fpzFF10kytZZRITXiJwDzZqnrVhOIU748vQCU_FFVBHeJz0dbfmvDz3AMA_-3trZL564EUggY0CNdl5D0Lhyphenhyphen8zrMHhXrAf-_ovhq2ymgsNpwate/s1600/No_Fear_of_Felines.jpg">The protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii can infect most mammals, including humans (SN: 1/26/13, p. 24). But the parasite can reproduce only in the feline gut, so cats need to eat animals infected with T. gondii to keep the parasite generations going.

Source: Here