Stick to beat organic farmers?

[Tony Nelson-Smith]

My current New Scientist (26 Oct) has a disturbing story about the parasite Toxoplasma gondii. Apparently between 30 and 60 percent of humans carry it (15-20% in the UK and US, 35% in Australia) and it has been regarded as harmless except to pregnant women (it can cross the placenta and damage the foetal brain). It can reproduce only in cats, from which the eggs emerge in faeces and remain viable in moist soil for 18 months. Recently, it has been found that Toxoplasma alters the behaviour of rats in a way which favours reinfection of cats - the rats are more active, less scared of new things, have slower reaction times and are even attracted by the smell of cat urine, which normally repels them. Preliminary experiments with human volunteers suggest that we, too, show slower reaction times and a poorer attention span if infected; men become more independent and more inclined to break rules, although the reverse seems to happen in women. Humans with a latent infection are 2.7 times more liable to be involved in a car accident. Latent infection is thought also to trigger some forms of schizophrenia.
Aside from being worrying in general, the USDA has apparently commissioned a 3-year study of beef, chicken and pork to assess the risk to consumers. Pigs are thought to be the most likely to pick up an infection; the Director of Veterinary Science on the US National Pork Board pointed out that more intensive indoor rearing reduces the risk but - here's the rub! - such gains could be reversed if organic farming becomes more common. Tony N-S.






_________________________________________________________________
Surf the Web without missing calls!�Get MSN Broadband. http://resourcecenter.msn.com/access/plans/freeactivation.asp