最新一项研究发现，养猫的女性更容易患精神疾病、且会有自杀倾向。原因是猫砂中有一种寄生虫极易被人体感染，然后潜藏于人脑和肌肉细胞内，而这种寄生虫感染多与精神疾病有关。

Women who own cats are more likely to have mental health problems and commit suicide¹ because they can be infected by a common parasite² that can be caught from cat litter, a study has found.

Researchers found women infected with the Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) parasite, which is spread through contact with cat faeces or eating undercooked meat or unwashed vegetables, are at increased risk of attempting suicide.

The study involved more than 45,000 women in Denmark. About a third of the world's population is infected with the parasite, which hides in cells in the brain and muscles, often without producing symptoms.

The infection, which is called toxoplasmosis（弓形体病） , has been linked to mental illness, such as schizophrenia（精神分裂症） , and changes in behavior.

The study's senior author Doctor Teodor Postolache, an associate professor of psychiatry³ at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in the United States, said: "We can't say with certainty⁴ that T. gondii caused the women to try to kill themselves, but we did find a predictive association between the infection and suicide attempts later in life that warrants⁵ additional studies.

"We plan to continue our research into this possible connection."

Doctor Albert Reece, vice⁶ president of medical affairs at the University of Maryland, said: "T. gondii infection is a major public health problem around the world, and many people don't realize they're infected.

"Dr Postolache is a leading expert on suicide neuroimmunology. Suicide is a critically important mental health issue. About one million people commit suicide and another 10 million attempt suicide worldwide each year. We hope that this type of research will one day help us find ways to save many lives that now end prematurely⁷ in suicide."

The study is the largest ever of T. gondii and attempted suicide and the first prospective⁸ study to document suicide attempts that occurred after the infection was discovered.