autoimmunity – Toxoplasma gondii & Human Phenotype

Anti-Toxoplasma antibodies in Egyptian rheumatoid arthritis patients

December 8, 2017
El-Henawy, A. A., Hafez, E. A. R., Nabih,N., Shalaby, N. M., Mashaly, M.
Rheumatology International 2017;37:785-790

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Relationship of Toxoplasma Gondii Exposure with Multiple Sclerosis

January 4, 2016
Oruc, S.
European Journal of General Medicine, 2016, 13: 58-63

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Autoimmune diseases, gastrointestinal disorders and the microbiome in schizophrenia: more than a gut feeling

January 4, 2016
Severance, E. G., Yolken, R. H., Eaton, W. W.
Schizophrenia Research, 2016, 176 :23-35

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Gastroenterology issues in schizophrenia: Why the gut matters

May 28, 2015
Severance, E. G., Prandovszky, E., Castiglione, J., Yolken, R. H.
Current Psychiatry Reports 2015; 17: 10.1007/s11920-015-0574-0

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An observational study of inflammation in the central nervous system in patients with bipolar disorder

January 5, 2015
Stich, O., Andres, T. A., Gross, C. M., Gerber, S. I., Rauer, S., Langosch, J. M.
Bipolar Disorders 2015; 17: 291-302

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Toxoplasma gondii: bystander or cofactor in rheumatoid arthritis

October 11, 2013
Fischer, S., Agmon-Levin, N., Shapira, Y., Katz, B. S., Graell, E., Cervera, R., Stojanovich, L., Puerta, J. A. G., Sanmarti, R., Shoenfeld, Y.
Immunologic Research 2013; 56: 287-292

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Prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma antibodies in patients with autoimmune diseases

October 11, 2012
Shapira, Y., Agmon-Levin, N., Selmi, C., Petrikova, J., Barzilai, O., Ram, M., Bizzaro, N., Valentini, G., Matucci-Cerinic, M., Anaya, J. M., Katz, B. S. P., Shoenfeld, Y.
Journal of Autoimmunity 2012; 39: 112-116

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The identification of etiological factors in the induction of autoimmunity has remained elusive despite an enormous effort at dissection of the molecular structure of the target antigens and effector mechanisms. One characteristic feature of autoantigens is their repetitive structure as well as their conservation and evolution. Toxoplasma (T.)gondii is a primitive protozoan. We hypothesized that patients with autoimmune disease would have broad reactions against Toxoplasma antigens based on autoantigen conservation. To address this issue, we assessed serologic evidence of reactivity to Toxoplasma gondii along with a large profile of autoantibodies in patients with various autoimmune diseases (AID). We included sera of 1514 patients with 11 different AID collected from referral centers in Europe and Latin America as well as from 437 geographically matched controls, for the prevalence of anti Toxoplasma antibodies (ATxA) IgG and IgM and serum autoantibodies utilizing the BioPlex 2200 system (Bio- Rad Laboratories, USA). Serum ATxA IgG were positive in 42% of patients with AID versus 29% of controls (p < 0.0001). Among Europeans, ATxA IgG were associated with anti-phospholipid syndrome (APS; p < 0.0001), cryoglobulinemia (p < 0.0001), ANCA-associated vasculitides (p < 0.01), autoimmune thyroid diseases (p < 0.0001), systemic sclerosis (SSc; p < 0.0001) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA; p < 0.0001). Of note, Latin American RA sera exhibited similar frequency of ATxA IgG as controls. ATxA IgM were more prevalent in European patients with APS (p < 0.01), SSc (p < 0.05) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD, p < 0.05) than in controls. Further, in AID patients the presence of ATxA correlated with autoantibodies characteristic of APS (anti-cardiolipin, B2GPI, complex of cardiolipin- B2GPI, prothrombin, phosphatydilethanolamine), and of SSc (anti-centromere, Scl-70). Our findings suggest that T. gondii may contribute to the pathogenesis of AID. This interaction may depend on or explain observed geoepidemiological variance in AID. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in arthritis patients in eastern China

December 8, 1970
Tian, A. L., Gu, Y. L., Zhou, N., Cong, W., Li, G. X., Elsheikha, H. M., Zhu, X. Q.
Infectious Diseases of Poverty 1970; 6

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Background: There is accumulating evidence for an increased susceptibility to infection in patients with arthritis. We sought to understand the epidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii infection in arthritis patients in eastern China, given the paucity of data on the magnitude of T. gondii infection in these patients. Methods: Seroprevalence of T. gondii infection was assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using a crude antigen of the parasite in 820 arthritic patients, and an equal number of healthy controls, from Qingdao and Weihai cities, eastern China. Sociodemographic, clinical and lifestyle information on the study participants were also obtained. Results: The prevalence of anti-T. gondii IgG was significantly higher in arthritic patients (18.8%) compared with 12% in healthy controls (P < 0.001). Twelve patients with arthritis had anti-T. gondii IgM antibodies - comparable with 10 control patients (1.5% vs 1.2%). Demographic factors did not significantly influence these seroprevalence frequencies. The highest T. gondii infection seropositivity rate was detected in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (24.8%), followed by reactive arthritis (23.8%), osteoarthritis (19%), infectious arthritis (18.4%) and gouty arthritis (14.8%). Seroprevalence rates of rheumatoid arthritis and reactive arthritis were significantly higher when compared with controls (P < 0.001 and P = 0.002, respectively). A significant association was detected between T. gondii infection and cats being present in the home in arthritic patients (odds ratio [OR], 1.68; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.24 - 2.28; P = 0.001). Conclusions: These findings are consistent with and extend previous results, providing further evidence to support a link between contact with cats and an increased risk of T. gondii infection. Our study is also the first to confirm an association between T. gondii infection and arthritis patients in China. Implications for better prevention and control of T. gondii infection in arthritis patients are discussed.