LiveScience.com - Study: Cat Parasite Affects Human Culture

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" Zepp " <zepp

Fri, 04 Aug 2006 18:17:16 -0700

[Zepps_News] LiveScience.com - Study: Cat Parasite Affects

Human Culture

 

 

 

 

http://www.livescience.com/othernews/060803_tgondii_culture.html

 

[Zeppnote: Don't look now, but Woody Allen may have to start telling

jokes about his cat instead of his mother from now on]

 

A parasitic microbe commonly found in cats might have helped shape

entire human cultures by manipulating the personalities of infected

individuals, according to a new study.

 

Infection by a /Toxoplasma gondii/ could make some individuals more

prone to some forms of neuroticism and could lead to differences among

cultures if enough people are infected, says Kevin Lafferty, a U.S.

Geological Survey scientist at the University of California, Santa

Barbara.

 

In a survey of different countries, Lafferty found that people living in

those with higher rates of /T. gondii

<http://www.livescience.com/scienceoffiction/060210_technovelgy.html>/

infection scored higher on average for neuroticism, defined as an

emotional or mental disorder characterized by high levels of anxiety

<http://www.livescience.com/imageoftheday/siod_051122.html>, insecurity

or depression

<http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/ap_060228_patch.html>.

 

His finding is detailed in the Aug. 2 issue of the journal for

/Proceedings of the Royal Society, Biology/.

 

*Manipulating behavior*

 

/T. gondii/ infects both wild and domestic cats, but it is carried by

many warm-blooded

<http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060710_dinosaur_temperature.html>

mammals. One recent study showed that the parasite makes normally

cautious rats outgoing and more prone to engage in reckless behavior,

such as hanging around areas frequently marked by cat urine, making the

rats easy targets.

 

Scientists estimate that the parasite has infected about 3 billion

people, or about half of the human population

<http://www.livescience.com/othernews/060224_world_population.html>.

Studies by researchers in the Czech Republic have suggested /T. gondii/

might have subtle but long-term effects on its human hosts. The parasite

is thought to have different, and often opposite effects in men versus

women, but both genders appear to develop a form of neuroticism called

" guilt proneness. "

 

Other studies have also found links between the parasite and

schizophrenia

<http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/050907_schizotype_creative.html>.

/T. gondii/ infection is known to damage astrocytes

<http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/060106_astrocytes_blood.html>,

support cells in the brain that are also affected during schizophrenia.

Pregnant women with high levels of antibodies

<http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/060207_virus_evolution.html> to

the parasite are also more likely to give birth to children who will

develop the disorder.

 

In light of such studies, Lafferty wondered whether high rates of /T.

gondii/ infection in a culture

<http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/060123_dying_wish.html> could

shift the average personality of its individuals.

 

" In populations where this parasite is very common, mass personality

modification could result in cultural change, " Lafferty said.

 

The distribution of /T. gondii/ could explain differences in cultural

aspects that relate to ego, money, material possessions, work and rules,

Lafferty added. In some countries, infections by the cat parasite are

very rare, while in others nearly all adults are infected.

 

*Adding to cultural diversity*

 

To test his hypothesis, Lafferty looked at published data on cultural

dimensions and average personalities for different countries. The

countries examined also kept records of the prevalence of /T. gondii/

antibodies in women of childbearing age. Countries with high prevalence

of /T. gondii/ infection also had higher average neuroticism scores.

 

" There could be a lot more to this story, " Lafferty said. " Different

responses to the parasite by men and women could lead to many additional

cultural effects that are, as yet, difficult to analyze. "

 

Lafferty thinks that climate <http://www.livescience.com/climate/> could

be an important factor in determining which human populations are

infected by /T. gondii/. The parasite's eggs can survive longer in

humid, low-altitude regions, especially at mid latitudes that have

infrequent freezing and thawing.

 

Other factors could also influence infection rates, including how a

culture's attitudes about having cats as pets and the hygiene practices

of its people.

 

Despite its association with neuroticism, Lafferty doesn't think all of

the cat parasite's effects on human culture are bad.

 

" After all, they add to our cultural diversity, " he said.

 

--

" Now, by the way, any time you hear the United States government talking

about wiretap, it requires -- a wiretap requires a court order.

Nothing has

changed, by the way. When we're talking about chasing down terrorists,

we're

talking about getting a court order before we do so "

-George W. Bush, April 20, 2004

 

Not dead, in jail, or a slave? Thank a liberal!

Pay your taxes so the rich don't have to.

 

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