Parasite makes men dumb, women sexy

The Sydney Morning Herald ^ | 12/26/06

[Valin]

A common parasite can increase a women's attractiveness to the opposite sex but also make men more stupid, an Australian researcher says. About 40 per cent of the world's population is infected with Toxoplasma gondii, including about eight million Australians. Human infection generally occurs when people eat raw or undercooked meat that has cysts containing the parasite, or accidentally ingest some of the parasite's eggs excreted by an infected cat. The parasite is known to be dangerous to pregnant women as it can cause disability or abortion of the unborn child, and can also kill people whose immune systems are weakened.

Until recently it was thought to be an insignificant disease in healthy people, Sydney University of Technology infectious disease researcher Nicky Boulter said, but new research has revealed its mind-altering properties. "Interestingly, the effect of infection is different between men and women," Dr Boulter writes in the latest issue of Australasian Science magazine. "Infected men have lower IQs, achieve a lower level of education and have shorter attention spans. They are also more likely to break rules and take risks, be more independent, more anti-social, suspicious, jealous and morose, and are deemed less attractive to women. "On the other hand, infected women tend to be more outgoing, friendly, more promiscuous, and are considered more attractive to men compared with non-infected controls. "In short, it can make men behave like alley cats and women behave like sex kittens".

Dr Boulter said the recent Czech Republic research was not conclusive, but was backed up by animal studies that found infection also changes the behaviour of mice. The mice were more likely to take risks that increased their chance of being eaten by cats, which would allow the parasite to continue its life cycle. Rodents treated with drugs that killed the parasites reversed their behaviour, Dr Boulter said.

Another study showed people who were infected but not showing symptoms were 2.7 times more likely than uninfected people to be involved in a car accident as a driver or pedestrian, while other research has linked the parasite to higher incidences of schizophrenia. "The increasing body of evidence connecting Toxoplasma infection with changes in personality and mental state, combined with the extremely high incidence of human infection in both developing and developed countries, warrants increased government funding and research, in particular to find safe and effective treatments or vaccines," Dr Boulter said.

[Greystoke]

kan a son-one reeb tis tho mee?

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Me head hurt. Yu gut bag boobz. Whaz?

[Valin]

idonno.

[Valin]

K.B.L.L.F.

[Pelham]

Toxoplasma gondii makes men dumb, women sexy? I thought it was beer.

[Robert357]

A common parasite can increase a women's attractiveness to the opposite sex but also make men more stupid, an Australian researcher says. About 40 per cent of the world's population is infected with Toxoplasma gondii,

And here I thought it was just beer goggles

[Skibane]

infection also changes the behaviour of mice. The mice were more likely to take risks that increased their chance of being eaten by cats, which would allow the parasite to continue its life cycle.

And being dumb, anti-social and promiscuous helps increase the chances of propagating the parasite in humans?

[sageb1]

Wow!

Iran says it could use oil as a weapon-(hoochie mamma )
Posted by Flavius
On 12/27/2006 8:38:55 PM PST · 11 replies · 235+ views


Parasite makes men dumb, women sexy
Posted by Valin
On 12/27/2006 8:34:50 PM PST · 66 replies · 1,505+ views


Blair on Islam: Standard-Bearer of Tolerance (Surrender Monkey Watch)
Posted by DogByte6RER
On 12/27/2006 8:19:34 PM PST · 32 replies · 385+ views

[eccentric]

animorphs to the rescue!

[The Spirit Of Allegiance]

"Infected men have lower IQs, achieve a lower level of education and have shorter attention spans. They are also more likely to break rules and take risks, be more independent, more anti-social, suspicious, jealous and morose, and are deemed less attractive to women. "On the other hand, infected women tend to be more outgoing, friendly, more promiscuous, and are considered more attractive to men compared with non-infected controls. "In short, it can make men behave like alley cats and women behave like sex kittens".

"Dr Boulter said the recent Czech Republic research was not conclusive...


Yeahright. Publish or Perish? (Remind me not to date any woman with cats....)

[fish hawk]

Sounds like Budweiser to me.

[Lancey Howard]

Berger gets a slap on the wrist but you or I would be looking at concrete block for ten years.
Wait. What thread is this?

[pbmaltzman]

I guess this means I need to lay off the cat turds in my diet, yes?

ROFLMAO! Can't think of anything to top that!

[Blogger]

Just can't spell worth a dern.

[AmericaUnited]

I'm working on creating chocolates with two separate inner hollows... one filled with liquor and the other filled with these parasites.

[beyond the sea]

Those parasites must be working.......

[Slings and Arrows]

I'll bet MoDo wishes she'd taken immunosuppressants.

[beyond the sea]

LOL

Sometimes I actually feel sorry for MoDo. She's just so upset all the time. CZJones is a very good golfer, a very low handicap. Maybe MoDo ought to take up the game.

[mdmathis6]

Erythromicin used to be the drug of choice for it, I don't know if it still is/.

[savedbygrace]

or accidentally ingest some of the parasite's eggs excreted by an infected cat

I hate when that happens.