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ScienceDaily reports that:
Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is a single-celled parasite that is happiest in a cat's intestines, but it can live in any warm blooded animal. Found worldwide, T. gondii affects about one-third of the world's population, 60 million of which are Americans. Most people have no symptoms, but some experience a flu-like illness. Those with suppressed immune systems, however, can develop a serious infection if they are unable to fend off T. gondii.
A healthy immune system responds vigorously to T. gondii in a manner that parallels how the immune system attacks a tumor.
"We know biologically this parasite has figured out how to stimulate the exact immune responses you want to fight cancer," said David J. Bzik, PhD, professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.
In response to T. gondii, the body produces natural killer cells and cytotoxic T cells. These cell types wage war against cancer cells. Cancer can shut down the body's defensive mechanisms, but introducing T. gondii into a tumor environment can jump start the immune system.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Friday July 18 2014, @06:36AM
Yea... naaah. Frontline's good enough - couple of drops every 3 months.
Not here, no (it is believed the presence of Thylarctos plummetus ensures a protection factor).
At most, some other species of Lyssavirus [wikipedia.org] (or some other more virulent nasties [wikipedia.org] - but those usually through horse transmission).
True, but is somehow seriously self-limiting - once it's warm enough, my cat prefers outdoors and the evening fur brushing it's a pleasure (for me - she's an expert in conditioning [wikipedia.org], any cat is). Until it's not warm enough, the hair usually "keeps sticking" on her.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0