The protozoa which causes toxoplasmosis is excreted by a cat in its poop. A rat, because it is nibbling constantly on anything it can find, will ingest the cat feces. The protozoa will encyst itself in the tissues of the rat. A cat will eat the rat and start the whole process all over again.
Normally, rats do not like being eaten by cats and thus freeze in the presence of a cat in order to avoid detection. They also eschew areas containing the smell of cat urine (which is why having incontinent cats is an effective way to keep your house rodent-free). However, rats who have been infected by toxoplasmosis scamper around in the presence of cats, are affirmatively attracted to cat urine, and are thus far more likely to be spotted and eaten by a feline. Zoologists believe that the toxoplasmosis parasites rewire the rat’s brain so that these weird scampering and urine-seeking activities give the rodent sexual stimulation. In other words, the protozoa drives the rat to suicide, but the rat dies happy, the protozoa gets to reproduce, and the cat gets a yummy rat to eat. Everyone wins.
Well, not everyone, if people become involved. As revealed in The Atlantic, there is evidence that the parasite increases the risk of suicide, mental illness, and even car crashes if it is introduced into a human host. These symptoms are, of course, in addition to the devastating havoc toxoplasmosis can wreak if the host is pregnant.
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