Brainwashing parasites

[Buspirone]

I thought this was interesting.

A parasitic worm that makes the grasshopper(or cricket) it invades jump into water and commit suicide does so by chemically influencing its brain, a study of the insects’ proteins reveal............

The rest of the article can be found here:

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7927

 

[Randolph XX()]

Gordius aquaticus also make their host to drown themselves, too, and mostly Mantid

 

[Stylopidae]

Parasite Rex

Read the book Parasite Rex by Carl Zimmer. It's an amazing book.

*Wasps of the genus Cortesia produce a virus that deactivates a caterpillar's immune system

*Toxoplasma Gondii makes mice unafraid of cat urine

*There is a certian species of caterpillar that can shoot it's frass over 1 foot to foil parasitic wasps

*Many different species of fungi produce fly sex pheromones when they kill a fly

*The parasitic barnacles of the Sacculina genus change the physiology of a male crab to resemble that of a female, then changes the brain chemistry of the male crab so it thinks it's a female and that it's carrying a batch of eggs (which are the barnacle's)

I'll post more in this thread when I can find the book.

 

[Dark Raptor]

My favourite polish parasite is Dicrocoelium dendriticum

http://parasitology.informatik.uni-wuerzburg.de/login/n/h/0381.html

Some parasites can influence human behaviour.

 

[ilovebugs]

That is very interesting. as a matter of fact, I may have seen this myself on a few occasions.

I recall finding a dead cricket or two in a bowl of water with a worm swimming around.

Once I tried to catch a cricket, and slapped my hand down (alittle too hard) and a worm started making it's exit stage rear.

Also, I had a ghost shrimp die suddenly, I thought it was strange, so I examined him and saw a wormy parasite inside of him, much like I had seen before.