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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 GreatAuntAnesthesia on Friday July 18 2014, @02:55PM
> And it is wrong on several counts: there are more than 60 million Americans; they do not comprise 1/3 of the world population; and total population is way more than 180 million.
I think what TFS was trying to say is this:
One third of the world's population are affected by cat flu. About 60 million of those infectees are Americans. That (combined with your numbers above) implies that the infection level in the US is less than the global average of one third. Still, I couldn't care less - I want to know what the infection rate is in Lichtenstein.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 21 2014, @04:26PM
The majority of SN readers are North Americans. So fuck off with your globalism.