cross-sectional studies

The role of latent toxoplasmosis in the aetiopathogenesis of schizophrenia–the risk factor or an indication of a contact with cat?

February 6, 2020
Yuksel, P., Alpay, N., Babur, C., Bayar, R., Saribas, S., Karakose, A. R., Aksoy, C., Aslan, M., Mehmetali, S., Kilic, S., Balcioglu, I., Hamanca, O., Dirican, A., Kucukbasmaci, O., Oner, A., Torun, M. M., Kocazeybek, B.
Folia Parasitol (Praha) 2010, 57: 121 - 128 Adult Aged Animals Antibodies, Protozoan/blood Case-Control Studies Cats Cross-Sectional Studies Female Humans Immunoglobulin G/blood Male Middle Aged Retrospective Studies Risk Factors Schizophrenia/*blood/*etiology Toxoplasmosis/blood/*complications/immunology

Click for abstract

We assessed IgG antibody to Toxoplasma gondii in 300 inpatients with schizophrenia (SG), 150 outpatients with anxiety and depressive disorders (PCG), and 150 healthy blood donors (HCG). Seropositivity rates were 60.7% for SG, 36.7% for PCG, and 45.3% for HCG (p<0.001). The seropositivity rate for anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibodies in SG was significantly higher that in PCG (chi2 = 23.11, OR = 2.66, p = 0.001) and HCG (chi2 = 9.52, OR = 1.86, p = 0.002). Among SG, 85% of those who reported close cat contact had IgG antibodies to T. gondii. Close cat contacts were reported by 59% of SG, 6% of PCG, and 9% of HCG (p<0.001). There was a nonsignificant positive association between toxoplasmosis and schizophrenia for people with a contact with a cat (OR = 2.221, p = 0.127, CI95 = 0.796-6.192), and significant negative association between toxoplasmosis and schizophrenia for people without contact with a cat (OR = 0.532, p = 0.009, CI95 = 0.332-0.854). Close cat contact (OR = 2.679, p<0.001), 51-65-year age group (OR = 1.703, p<0.001) and education [illiterate+primary (OR = 6.146, p<0.001) and high school (OR = 1.974, p = 0.023)] were detected as independent risk factors in multivariate logistic regression. The effect of toxoplasmosis on risk of schizophrenia disappeared in the complex model analyzed with multivariate logistic regression. In conclusion, our data suggest that the toxoplasmosis has no direct effect on the risk of schizophrenia in Turkey but is just an indication of previous contacts with a ca

Tagged: adult, age, animals, antibodies, case-control studies, cats, cross-sectional studies, female, humans, immunoglobulin, male, middle aged, protozoan/*blood, retrospective study, Schizophrenia, Toxoplasmosis/blood/*complications/immunology

Mental health

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection and its as- sociated risk factors in neuropsychiatric patients in Jazan Province, Saudi Arabia

November 20, 2016
Zaki, W. M., Hofdi, R. Y., Shebiley, A. A., Saadi, Z. A.,Ageel, A. H.
J. Egypt. Soc. Parasitol. 2016; 46: 467-474

Click for abstract

Toxoplasma gondii has worldwide distribution in nearly one-third of the human population. It is a neurotropic protozoan parasite so a potential role of T. gondii infection for some neuropsychiatric disorders was postulated. Patients with psychiatric disorders had high toxoplasmosis se- roprevalence. Limited information about toxoplasmosis seroprevalence in psychiatric patients was known in southern area of Saudi Arabia. The current cross sectional case control study aims at determination of the prevalence of T. gondii IgG & IgM in neuropsychiatric patients in Jazan Province. A total of 162 neuropsychiatric patients from Al-Amal hospital for psychiatric health and 162 subjects without neuropsychiatric manifestations from Jazan General Hospital, Jazan City, KSA. were enrolled in the study. Psychiatric diagnosis was based on the International Classification of Diseases-10 (ICD-10 classification). Serological analysis for latent toxoplasmosis (IgG) and active toxoplasmosis (IgM) was done using Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Investigations for the association with socio-demographic, clinical and behavioral characteristics in psychiatric patients were also done. The serofrequency of IgG antibodies among neuropsychiatric patients was significantly higher than that of the controls (35.8% vs 14.8%) P = 0.0022. OR 3.2 with 95% CI= (1.4952 to 6.8774). However; serofrequency of toxoplasma IgM antibody between neuro-psychiatric patients and controls was not statistically significant (P > 0.05).,Bivariate and multivariate analysis for socio-demographics and possible associated risk factors showed that contact to cats and/or dogs, eating under cooked meat, and contact to soil were significantly higher in neuropsychiatric patients than controls.

Tagged: animals, antibodies, case-control studies, cats, central nervous system infections/blood/diagnosis/epidemiology/*parasitology, cross-sectional studies, dogs, humans, immunoglobulin G/blood, Immunoglobulin M/blood, meat/parasitology, mental disorders/blood*complications/epidemiology/*etiology, multivariate analysis, odds ratio, protozoan/blood, risk factors, Saudi Arabia/epidemiology, seroepidemiologic studies, Toxoplasma, Toxoplasmosis/blood/*complications/*diagnosis/epidemiology

Mental health

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection and its as- sociated risk factors in neuropsychiatric patients in Jazan province, Saudi Arabia

October 30, 2016
Zaki, W. M., Hofdi, R. Y., Shebiley, A. A., Saadi, Z. A., Ageel, A. H.
Journal of the Egyptian Society of Parasitology 2016; 240: 1-8

Click for abstract

Tagged: animals, antibodies, case-control studies, cats, central nervous system infections/blood/diagnosis/epidemiology/*parasitology, cross-sectional studies, dogs, humans, immunoglobulin G/blood, Immunoglobulin M/blood, meat/parasitology, mental disorders/blood/*complications/epidemiology/*etiology, multivariate analysis, odds ratio, protozoan/blood, risk factors, Saudi Arabia/epidemiology, seroepidemiologic studies, Toxoplasma, Toxoplasmosis/blood/*complications/*diagnosis/epidemiology

Mental health

Hepatitis C virus antibody titers associated with cognitive dysfunction in an asymptomatic community-based sample

May 24, 2016
Ibrahim, I., Salah, H., El Sayed, H., Mansour, H., Eissa, A., Wood, J., Fathi, W., Tobar, S., Gur, R. C., Gur, R. E., Dickerson, F., Yolken, R. H., El Bahaey, W., Nimgaonkar, V.
Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology 2016; 38; : 861-868, 10.1080/13803395.2016.1168780

Click for abstract

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with cognitive dysfunction in clinic-based studies. The risk could be attributed to factors such as antiviral medications, substance abuse, or coincidental infection. AIM: The aim was to evaluate cognitive function in relation to HCV antibody titers in a community-based sample of asymptomatic individuals at low risk for substance abuse. METHOD: Adults were ascertained from a community in Mansoura, Egypt, where HCV is endemic (n = 258). Cognitive performance was evaluated using the Arabic version of the Penn Computerized Neurocognitive Battery. Substance abuse and psychopathology were also assessed. Antibodies to HCV and Toxoplasma gondii (TOX), a common protozoan that can affect cognition, were estimated using serological IgG assays. RESULTS: The prevalence of HCV and TOX infection was 17.6% and 52.9%, respectively. HCV antibody titers were significantly associated with worse function in four cognitive tests for accuracy and three tests for speed, after adjusting for covariates (p < .05, beta coefficients, 2.1-3.2). TOX antibody titers were associated with impaired accuracy in one test. CONCLUSIONS: The association between HCV antibody titers and cognitive impairment is not mediated by antiviral treatment or substance abuse in this sample. Whether HCV has a causal role in the cognitive dysfunction should be investigated.

Tagged: adult, antibodies, cognitive dysfunction, cross-sectional studies, Hepacivirus/*immunology, Hepatitis C, humans, middle aged, young adult

Cognitive functions Mental health

Seroprevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgG antibody in patients with schizophrenia

October 16, 2012
Emelia, O., Amal, R. N., Ruzanna, Z. Z., Shahida, H., Azzubair, Z., Tan, K. S., Aadila, S. N., Siti, N. A. M., Aisah, M. Y.
Tropical Biomedicine 2012; 29: 151-159

Click for abstract

Schizophrenia is a pervasive neuropsychiatric disease of unknown cause. Previous studies have reported that toxoplasmosis may be a possible cause of schizophrenia. To ascertain possible relationship between Toxoplasma gondii and schizophrenia, a cross sectional study, employing an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to study the seroprevalence of anti-T. gondii IgG antibody in schizophrenic patients. Furthermore, demographic data analysis from schizophrenic patients were analysed to associate toxoplasmosis with schizophrenia. A total of 288 serum samples from schizophrenic patients (n=144) and psychiatrically healthy volunteers (n=144) were recruited in this study. Interestingly, a significant result in the serointensity rate of anti-T. gondii IgG antibody (> 60 IU/mL) in schizophrenic patients (61.1%) was demonstrated as compared to psychiatrically healthy volunteers (40.8%) (X(2) = 4.236, p < 0.050). However, there was no significant difference between the seropositivity rate of anti-T. gondii IgG antibody between the two groups. Analysis from demographic data revealed that the seropositivity rate of anti-T. gondii IgG antibody in schizophrenic patients was significantly associated with age group of more than 40 years old (p=0.007) and between ethnic (p=0.046). Nevertheless, no significant association between seropositivity rate of anti-T. gondii IgG antibody with gender (p=0.897), duration of illness (p=0.344) and family history of schizophrenia (p=0.282) in these patients. Thus, this finding is essential as a preliminary data in Malaysia to establish the association between T. gondii and schizophrenia.

Tagged: adult, age factors, animals, antibodies, cross-sectional studies, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, ethnic groups, female, humans, immunoglobulin G/blood, Malaysia/epidemiology, male middle aged, protozoan/blood, risk factors, schizophrenia/*complications, seroepidemiologic studies, Toxoplasma/*immunology, toxoplasmosis/*epidemiology

Mental health

Toxoplasma gondii & Human Phenotype

Compendium of Known Effects and Ongoing Research

cross-sectional studies

The role of latent toxoplasmosis in the aetiopathogenesis of schizophrenia–the risk factor or an indication of a contact with cat?

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection and its as- sociated risk factors in neuropsychiatric patients in Jazan Province, Saudi Arabia

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection and its as- sociated risk factors in neuropsychiatric patients in Jazan province, Saudi Arabia

Hepatitis C virus antibody titers associated with cognitive dysfunction in an asymptomatic community-based sample

Seroprevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgG antibody in patients with schizophrenia