Posted on 10/12/2006 12:32:29 PM PDT by FLOutdoorsman
Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite usually found in cats that can also infect humans, has been getting more than its fair share of the limelight lately. Fresh on the heels of speculation about T. gondii manipulating human behavior on a massive scale to advance its own survival, comes news that the parasite also appears to be exerting a very strong gender selection function in human pregnancies.
Infection by T. gondii is usually facilitated through the consumption of raw or undercooked meat, or, food or water contaminated with soil containing cat feces. Infection results in toxoplasmosis, which can lie dormant and go undetected in humans. Human infection by T. gondii is common. Worldwide, rates vary between 20 - 80 percent of the population, with under-developed nations being the worst affected.
The new gender-bending findings, published this week in the journal Naturwissenschaften, show that women harboring dormant toxoplasmosis are much more likely to give birth to boys than women who are toxoplasma negative.
The researchers, from the Czech Republic, analyzed the effect of dormant toxoplasmosis on the probability of a male birth using clinical records of babies born between 1996 and 2004 in private maternity clinics. The records included information on the mother's age, the concentration of toxoplasma antibodies in the mother's blood, previous deliveries and the sex of the newborn. They found that the presence of the parasite in the mother's blood greatly increased the likelihood that these women would give birth to a boy - in some cases by as much as two boys for every three births.
Interestingly, the probability of a male birth increased with higher levels of toxoplasma antibodies. The researchers speculate that the increased survival of male embryos in infected women may be explained by toxoplasmosis' modulating and suppressing effects on the immune system.
Could T. gondii be stealthily engineering a male gender-preferenced world made up of schizophrenics and neurotics? Perhaps, but the researchers caution that while toxoplasmosis appears to be the cause of the increase in male births, they cannot establish cause and effect. "An independent confirmation of this conclusion by a manipulative experiment [by experimental infection of animals] is necessary," they suggest.
I can picture couples in China eating cat feces after reading this.
"Drat! My Plans have been uncovered!" [/T. gondii]
Here's a "WTF?" moment.
Jeeze, the only real parasite that I knew are cunning are democRats.
There are some fascinating examples of sex-ration distortion among insects caused by bacteria. However, these are biased towards females because only the female offspring are able to transmit the bacteria to their offspring, so males are a dead end and a waste of resources for the bacteria. A sex-ratio biased towards males suggests that this is an accidental side-effect that is not beneficial to the bacteria's survival.
Wow. Precisely what I was thinking.
If this is true, look for women in China to start eating cat feces or doimg whatever they can to get infected with this.
Kung Pow Cat Crap?!?!?!?! Or does it come on a Poo Poo Platter?
Wow, gives a whole new meaning to Viking kittens.
Not all cats have this, and indoor cats are very unlikely to ever get it.
ONLY cats who happen to eat an infected animal will carry the parasite.
That must not be a Viking Kittie because a REAL Viking Kittie would have FReeRepublic up and running on the computer.
I promise never to dump my cats if I get pregnant. (It helps that I'm a guy.)
You'd be rich. You could have a million kitties!!!!!
Interesting incentive...
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