[Targeted parasite control of arthropod vectors' behavior in mammals, including man].
A broad spectrum of pathogenic species is able to purposefully change the behavior of mammals, intermediate hosts, thus increasing the probability for parasites to transform into a final host and preserving them as a species. For this, pathogens decrease host mobility or inhibit an avoidance reaction in a carnivore, the final host of the parasite. The found similar effects of some pathogens on human behavior are of no selective value as man is not an indispensable link in the ecological chain of parasitic development. However, such an action on behavior may result in negative consequences. For example, individuals with latent toxoplasmosis become the participants and victims of traffic road accidents significantly more frequently due to reduced capacity to attention focusing.
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D000818:Animals; D001519:Behavior; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D002415:Cats; D005260:Female; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000469:parasitology*; D051381:Rats; D014123:Toxoplasmosis / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*