WWW- One man’s infection is another’s attraction … or so it seems with a common parasite that scientists have discovered can turn women into ‘sex kittens,’ while making men less attractive.

The parasite Toxoplasma gondii infects about 40 percent of the world’s population, an Australian researcher has found, and it has different effects on women versus men.

It was thought to be insignificant in healthy people until recently, when researchers realized its other consequences, reported News.com.au.

Sydney University of Technology infectious disease researcher Nicky Boulter wrote about the properties of the parasite in the latest issue of Australasian Science Magazine.

“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,” Boulter wrote.

“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.”

Boulter added that the new discoveries and variations on the effects of the parasite warrant further government funding for research.