Toxoplasma antibody titers in mania: A cross sectional study
Mangot, A. G., Shivakumar, V., Saini, V., Subbanna, M., Kalmady, S. V., Venkatasubramanian, G.
Journal of Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences University 2018; 7: 13-20
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Background: Recent studies have found a role of infectious agents, especially Toxoplasma gondii, in pathology of bipolar disorder - mania. Aim and Objectives: This study was conducted with the aim to find the prevalence of toxoplasma antibody titers in Indian patients with mania and to assess its specificity towards the clinical profile. Material and Methods: Thirty-four patients having mania were recruited who were psychotropic naive/free, along with 74 healthy controls. Psychopathology was assessed using structured assessment scales. Serum concentration of Toxoplasma IgG was measured using Diesse Enzywell Toxoplasma IgG immunoassay kit. Results: Mann-Whitney U test revealed that the toxoplasma antibody levels were significantly higher in the mania group than healthy controls (U = 766.5, z = 3.25, p = 0.001). Spearman correlation analyses did not reveal any significant correlation between toxoplasma antibody levels and age at onset (n = 0.19, p = 0.26) or YMRS scores (n = 0.15, p = 0.39). Discussion: The herein reported association could have potential implications in better understanding the pathophysiology of mania and its treatment. This is the first study to evaluate the association between toxoplasma titers and mania in India with only a few studies done elsewhere in the world.