Parasitic Use of Our Epigenome

One of the “perks” of pregnancy is hearing from your doctor that you should not be cleaning the kitty litter tray. Wait a second! What did you just say? Can you write that one down in an authoritative doctor’s note, please? Reason being – that if you have never been infected before, a primary infection from Toxoplasma cysts in cat feces can (rarely) be transmitted through the placenta to your baby. Apparently about a 1/3 of adults have antibodies against the parasite, Toxoplasma gondi. The infection is usually fairly insignificant. However, this infection becomes life threatening for those with poor immune systems. Think about those in the womb, post-chemotherapy or AIDS patients. Let’s face it, you cannot prevent “Fluffy” from … Continue reading →