Sex Kitten
If you require a sexier kitten, try the discreet Porno Stop button below
A few months ago we discussed – (here) – the high rate of incidence of the parasite Toxoplasma gondii in Italy and wondered editorially whether this might have anything to do with aspects of the Italian national personality.
In a nutshell, T. gondii, a common parasite of cats, has been shown to alter the personality of infected humans. An American parasitologist, Dr. Kevin Lafferty, then speculated in the “Proceedings of the Royal Society (Biology)” that, “In populations where this parasite is very common, mass personality modification could result in cultural change” – and “Upper Italy” naturally caught the ball on the bounce, so to speak.
New evidence now casts more light on the matter and, since journalists “down under” have got their hands on it, it is pretty exciting. The Australian Associated Press reports that, “A parasite turns women into sex kittens” and summarizes the research findings behind the headline in this way: “A COMMON parasite can increase a women’s attractiveness to the opposite sex but also make men more stupid, an Australian researcher says.”
That all-caps “common” is probably the Aussies’ subtle way of emphasizing that you too can catch the bug if you aren’t sufficiently careful about hygiene related to cat feces or uncooked meat.
Whether that would be a good or a bad thing is another question, and the AAP leaves the answer to Dr. Nicky Boulter, a researcher in infectious diseases at the Sydney University of Technology, who has written in the latest number of the journal “Australasian Science” that:
“Interestingly, the effect of infection is different between men and women.
“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.”
That might seem like quite a lot to ask of a common feline parasite, but we feel we must point out that other research has shown people infected with T. gondii were 2.7 times more likely than uninfected people to be involved in a car accident, while still other studies have linked the parasite to a higher incidence of schizophrenia.
So, is this an issue that ought to get us all jumping up and down? If it is, does it have anything to do with Italy, a country characterized by
irresponsible driving (here) and sexy women (here) where – perhaps we should mention this – immunological testing shows that 45 to 50 per cent of the population has been infected by the bug at one time or another? And where did Dr. Boulter get that “alley cat… sex kitten” line anyway? Oxford? Cambridge?
(The photo you have probably just peeked at is called – yes – “Sex Kitten” and is by Bob Carlos Clarke, 2004)
We think fairness requires us to point out that Dr. Boulter’s ultimate conclusion about all this is not one of high-minded concern about the cultural or philosophical implications. No. The Boulter take is that, “The increasing body of evidence connecting Toxoplasma infection with changes in personality and mental state… warrants increased government funding and research, in particular to find safe and effective treatments or vaccines.”
Not to put too fine a point on it, Dr. B. would appear to be on the make. There may not be much going on here that a nice grant wouldn’t fix. You still might want to think twice though about where you cuddle your kitty, depending on which way you button your shirt.