When fiction becomes fact: exaggerating host manipulation by parasites

In an era where some find fake news around every corner, the use of
sensationalism has inevitably found its way into the scientific
literature. This is especially the case for host manipulation by
parasites, a phenomenon in which a parasite causes remarkable change in
the appearance or behaviour of its host. This concept, which has
deservedly garnered popular interest throughout the world in recent years,
is nearly 50-years old. In the past two decades, the use of scientific
metaphors, including anthropomorphisms and science fiction, to describe
host manipulation has become more and more prevalent. It is possible that
the repeated use of such catchy, yet misleading words in both the popular
media and the scientific literature could unintentionally hamper our
understanding of the complexity and extent of host manipulation,
ultimately shaping its narrative in part or in full. In this commentary,
the impacts of exaggerating host manipulation are brought to light by
examining trends in the use of embellishing words. By looking at key
examples of exaggerated claims from widely reported host-parasite systems
found in the recent scientific literature, it would appear that some of
the fiction surrounding host manipulation has since become fact.

在假新闻随处可见的当下，煽情主义叙事手法已不可避免地渗透进科学文献领域。其中尤以寄生虫宿主操控（Host Manipulation by Parasites）为甚——这是一类寄生虫致使宿主外观或行为发生显著改变的现象。该概念虽已有近50年历史，却在近年于全球范围内赢得了广泛的公众关注。近二十年来，在描述宿主操控时，包括拟人化（Anthropomorphism）手法与科幻元素在内的科学隐喻的使用愈发普遍。若在大众媒体与科学文献中反复使用这类醒目却易产生误导的表述，可能会在无意中阻碍我们对宿主操控的复杂性与影响范围的理解，并最终从部分或整体层面扭曲其相关叙事。本述评通过分析修饰性词汇的使用趋势，揭示了夸大宿主操控现象所带来的影响。通过梳理近期科学文献中广泛报道的宿主-寄生虫系统（Host-Parasite Systems）的典型夸大性案例研究，可见部分围绕宿主操控的虚构叙事现已被当作事实传播。