NEED TO KNOW
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The cast of Love Island USA got into a wild conversation on the June 10 episode, when Cierra claimed that STDs came from humans having intercourse with animals
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She claimed chlamydia came from koalas, gonorrhea came from cows, and Christopher Columbus had sex with manatees
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None of the claims are true; and while koalas are infected with chlamydia, it’s a different strain than humans
Love Island USA’s Cierra made some wild claims about the origins of STDs, with one conversation focusing specifically on a cuddly Australian animal.
During the June 10 episode of the Hulu hit, Cierra announced, “Did you know STDs only formed because men couldn’t keep their d—- outside of animals — like, chlamydia is from koalas?”
The truth is that yes, a large portion of koalas are infected with chlamydia. However, as Tufts University points out, it’s a different strain from the type that infects humans.
Koalas having chlamydia is not a unique occurrence in the animal kingdom: As research from UC Davis College of Biological Sciences points out, fish, birds, reptiles — and even amoebas — can get infected with the bacteria. And per NPR, koalas were likely originally infected by contact with feces from other infected animals — and then the marsupials spread it from mother to offspring, and to each other.
Ben Symons/Peacock
The cast of ‘Love Island USA’
That is just a theory though: “We know surprisingly little about the evolutionary origins of Chlamydia trachomatis,” the primary strain that causes the disease in humans, according to research from the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. Koalas, on the other hand, are sickened by Chlamydia pecorum, Wildlife Health Australia says, which is the main cause of chlamydial infection and disease in the species.
And while koalas spreading a sexually transmitted disease might seem like a punchline, BBC reports that it’s an epidemic killing off Australia’s cuddly creatures, with populations declining as much as 80% in some areas.
Lisa Maree Williams/Getty
Stock image of a koala in a tree.
Cierra also claimed that gonorrhea came from cows; in reality, it’s one of the oldest sexually transmitted diseases. It’s been around forever. According to the Journal of Skin and Sexually Transmitted Diseases, “there is some conflict of opinion regarding its exact origin, but according to the general consensus, the disease has been present from the ancient times,” as far back as 2600 BC.
As for her statement that Christopher Columbus had sex “with, like, a f—— manatee”? His claims of seeing mermaids have long been chalked up to manatee sightings — and from what Columbus wrote of these mermaids/manatees, he found them, well, unappealing. Therefore, JaNa from the sixth season of Love Island likely had the best answer to that: “No response is the best response.” (Or as Leah put it, “sit here mute as f—-.”)
On a Facebook fan page for the show, one commenter wrote, “I’m a scientist and when she started her rant I immediately died laughing. I think she heard that on TikTok and just repeated it.”
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Love Island USA airs daily, except Wednesdays, at 9 p.m. ET on Peacock.
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