The parasite species causes the animals to eat their meat

These parasites after entering the host's body, directly control the behavior and cause the host to eat their own flesh.

>> 4 dangerous "carnivorous" parasites

Parasites control host behavior

In the natural world, many parasites have a special ability to hypnotize the host and gradually replace the host. Recent research published in the journal Royal Society has shown the existence of the "cannibalism" parasite. Accordingly, these parasites after entering the host body, directly control the behavior and cause the host to eat their own flesh .

Mandy Bunke of Leeds University and her research team point out that, both types of parasites and cannibals exist around 3,000 species, present everywhere in nature.

Gammarus shrimp celticus duebeni.

In this study, the experts focused on celticus duebeni Gammarus shrimp living in the waters off Ireland or County Antrim Downhill River (Northern Ireland) and tiny parasite Pleistophora mulleri.

The researcher monitored the interaction between parasites Pleistophora mulleri and Gammarus shrimp celticus duebeni. They found that parasites invade, eat nutrients from the host and grow .

Mandy Bunke explained that each parasite is very small, only about 5 micrometers long but can reproduce and spread to millions of shrimp hosts quickly.

Once penetrated into the shrimp body, they will destroy the shrimp muscles, absorb nutrients that keep the shrimp in a hungry state and then gradually dominate the behavior of the host. At this time, parasitic infected shrimp will come to the same kind - smaller shrimp creatures to eat meat.

Alison Dunn of the University of Leeds said: " Perhaps the only way to eat cannibalism is the smaller shrimp, the infected shrimp can survive."

Experts say that we can get this parasite after consuming infected shrimp food. However, the study has not yet discovered whether humans have ate cannibalism after being infected with this parasite.

Another study by scientist Glen McConkey showed that 10-20% of the British population is infected with the parasite Toxoplasma gondii - it directly affects the production of dopamine - an important chemical in the brain.

Close-up of parasites Toxoplasma gondii.

A lot of evidence shows that Toxoplasma gondii enters the central nervous system of humans, causing many health problems such as schizophrenia, functional neurosis and brain cancer.

Mark Torchin of Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute told Discovery News: " Some parasites have been shown to be able to drastically change hosts. This finding will help us take a new look at This tiny but extremely dangerous parasite ".