TY - JOUR AU - Panchin, Alexander Y. AU - Tuzhikov, Alexander I. AU - Panchin, Yuri V. PY - 2014 DA - 2014/07/02 TI - Midichlorians - the biomeme hypothesis: is there a microbial component to religious rituals? JO - Biology Direct SP - 14 VL - 9 IS - 1 AB - Cutting edge research of human microbiome diversity has led to the development of the microbiome-gut-brain axis concept, based on the idea that gut microbes may have an impact on the behavior of their human hosts. Many examples of behavior-altering parasites are known to affect members of the animal kingdom. Some prominent examples include Ophiocordyceps unilateralis (fungi), Toxoplasma gondii (protista), Wolbachia (bacteria), Glyptapanteles sp. (arthropoda), Spinochordodes tellinii (nematomorpha) and Dicrocoelium dendriticum (flat worm). These organisms belong to a very diverse set of taxonomic groups suggesting that the phenomena of parasitic host control might be more common in nature than currently established and possibly overlooked in humans. SN - 1745-6150 UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/1745-6150-9-14 DO - 10.1186/1745-6150-9-14 ID - Panchin2014 ER -