Is Your Cat's Poop Making You Homicidal? The Answer After The Next Commercial Break

Via Naturalflake, the disease most frequently mentioned on the blog (toxoplasmosis) is in the news again.

Your cat's litter box could be a source of explosive anger---and not for the obvious reasons.

A new study suggests that people prone to explosive bouts of rage might be under the influence of toxoplasmosis, an illness caused by a parasite found in cat feces and undercooked meat.

Folks diagnosed with intermittent explosive disorder (IED) are more than twice as likely to carry Toxoplasma gondii, the parasite that causes toxoplasmosis, said lead researcher Dr. Emil Coccaro.

"If you've got someone with aggression problems, you might check them for toxoplasmosis," said Coccaro, chair of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at the University of Chicago. "People who blow up have a real problem. It's not just a character problem or bad behavior. There’s something underneath that’s driving it."

And on this day, the Kitty Litter Defense was born.

Toxoplasmosis is an interesting thing. Apparently mice exposed to it undergo personality changes that make them fearless -- particularly as regards cats, which is a bad thing if you're a mouse.

Open thread.

posted by Ace at 07:00 PM

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