multiple sclerosis

Is Toxoplasma gondii playing a positive role in multiple sclerosis risk? A systematic review and meta-analysis

August 31, 2018
Saberi, R., Sharif, M., Sarvi, S., Aghayan, S. A., Hosseini, S. A., Anvari, D., Chegeni, T. N., Hosseininejad, Z., Daryani, A.
Journal of Neuroimmunology 2018;322: 57-62

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Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii with a globally widespread distribution. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to characterize the association between T. gondii infection and multiple sclerosis (MS). The data were systematically collected from the English electronic databases up to April 2017. The research process resulted in the identification of five studies related to the subject of interest entailing 669 MS patients and 770 controls. The pooled prevalence rates of T. gondii infection in the MS patients and controls were estimated as 32.4% (95% CI: 27.4-38.6) and 39.1% (95% CI: 29.1-50.5), respectively. By random effect model, the combined odds ratio was 0.72 (95% CI: 0.49-1.06) with P = .0961. Although this meta-analysis study showed a lower seroprevalence of T. gondii in the MS patients as compared with that in the control group, no significant association was found between toxoplasmosis and MS disease. Further investigations are recommended to determine the detailed association between MS patients and T. gondii infection.

Tagged: antibodies, autoimmune, brain-development, diseases, family-members, hygiene hypothesis, infection, meta-analysis, multiple sclerosis, Parasite, responses, Schizophrenia, systematic review, Toxoplasma gondii

Physical health

Is Toxoplasma gondii infection protective against multiple sclerosis risk?

December 8, 2017
Koskderelloglu, A., Afsar, I., Pektas, B., Gedizlioglu, M.
Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders 2017;15:7-10

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Background: Parasitic infections may play a protective role in neurodegenative diseases. Objective: To determine the association between Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) infection and Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Methods: One hundred fifteen patients with MS were included in the study. Sixty age and gender-matched healthy subjects were recruited as controls. Subjects were assessed for clinical and demographic parameters. The presence of specific IgG antibodies against T. gondii microorganism was searched by using an enzyme immunoassay test in the sera of the subjects. Results: T. gondii seropositivity was found to be lower in MS patients than in healthy controls (33.9% vs. 55%, p = 0.007). Mean age and disease duration of the patients were 41.15 +/- 11.20 (18-74) and 1.90 +/- 1.44 (0-6) years, respectively. MS patients with a high IgG titer had lower expanded disability status scale (EDSS) scores (p = 0.001) and lower annualized relapse rates (ARR) (p = 0.005). There was no significant association between T. gondii seropositivity and disease duration (p = 0.598). Female MS patients tended to have higher T. gondii seropositivity than males although the difference did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.192). We found a negative correlation between T. gondii seropositivity and both EDSS scores (r= - 0.322, p < 0.001) and ARR (r = - 0.263, p = 0.004). Conclusion: We found a negative association between T. gondii infection and the presence of MS. Furthermore, parasite infected MS patients had experienced fewer relapses with lower disability scores supporting the hypothesis of immunomodulatory effects of parasitic infections in autoimmune diseases. Further studies are required to establish the protective role of parasitic infections in MS

Tagged: multiple sclerosis, Toxoplasma gondii

Physical health

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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Objective: Toxoplasma gondii infection is a very common parasitic disease in human. In Turkey, the rate of seropositivity was reported as 23.1% to 36%. Because of the high affinity of parasite into Central Nervous System (CNS), chronic toxoplasma infection has been found correlated with many neuropsychiatric disorders, including altered mental status, obsessive-compulsive disorder, cognitive impairment, epilepsy, headache and schizophrenia. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether T. gondii has any role in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) by measuring anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies. Methods: Fifty-two MS patients followed up and 45 controls with similar age and socioeconomic status were included in the study. Anti-T. gondii IgL antibodies of the patients and controls were studied in blood with micro-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. Results: Of 52 MS patients included in the study, 37 had RRMS, 10 PPMS and 5 SPMS. Mean age of onset of the disease was 31.7 +/- 10.4 (min; 14 and max; 53). Twenty three of 52 (44.2%) cases with MS and 11 of 45 (24.4%) healthy controls were positive for anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies. There was a statistically significant difference between the rates of positivity between the MS patient group and control group (p=0.042). Conclusion: This study shows a relation of chronic T. Gondii infection with MS. According to this study, experienced T. gondii infection may be one of the several environmental risk factors for MS.

Tagged: activated microglia, autoimmunity, brain, chronic infection, disease, environmental risk-factors, hygiene hypothesis, infection, inflammation, interferon-gamma, metaanalysis, multiple sclerosis, pathogenesis, Toxoplasma gondii

Physical health

Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity is negatively associated with multiple sclerosis

October 6, 2015
Stascheit, F., Paul, F., Harms, L., Rosche, B.
Journal of Neuroimmunology 2015; 285: 119-124

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Background: Toxoplasma (T.) gondii is a ubiquitous intracellular parasitic protozoan that was recently associated with various autoimmune diseases. Objectives: We aimed to investigate the prevalence of T. gondii IgG and IgM antibodies between MS patients and healthy controls. Methods: Sera from 163 MS, 91 clinically isolated syndrome cases and 178 age and gender matched controls were evaluated for the prevalence of T. gondii IgG antibodies utilizing chemiluminescent immunoassay (ARCHITECT). Results: MS-patients showed a significantly lower prevalence for T. gondii IgG antibodies compared to controls (333% vs. 47.9%; p = 0.011, OR = 1.8 (95% CI 12-3.2)). Conclusion: The results demonstrate a negative association between an infection with the parasite T. gondii and the presence of MS.

Tagged: antibodies, case-control studies, cigarette-smoking, environmental risk-factors, hygiene hypothesis, infection, multiple sclerosis, parasitic infections, Toxoplasma gondii

Physical health

Possible link between Toxoplasma gondii and the anosmia associated with neurodegenerative diseases

October 10, 2014
Prandota J.
American Journal of Alzheimers Disease and Other Dementias 2014; 29: 205-214

Tagged: anosmia, autoimmune diseases, Cerebral toxoplasmosis, congenital toxoplasmosis, depression, glial-cells, heat-shock-protein, hiv-infected patients, impaired olfactory identification, impaired smell, multiple sclerosis, myenteric neurons, neurodegeneration, nitric-oxide synthase, olfaction, systemic-lupus-erythematosus

Mental health Sensory functions

Antibodies to infectious agents and the positive symptom dimension of subclinical psychosis: The TRAILS study

October 16, 2011
Wang, H., Yolken, R. H., Hoekstra, P. J., Burger, H., Klein, H. C.
Schizophrenia Research 2011; 129: 47-51

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nfections have been suggested to play a role in the etiology of schizophrenia, but the evidence for this has been inconsistent. Schizophrenia patients have an increased risk of infections as a result of hospitalizations or life style factors. Therefore a study on early subclinical manifestations of psychosis in relation to virus infections is warranted. We examined whether serum antibodies against human Herpes viruses and Toxoplasma gondii were associated with subclinical symptoms of psychosis in adolescents. Data were collected as part of the TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS) cohort, a large prospective cohort of Dutch adolescents. A total of 1176 participants with an available Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (CAPE) and an available blood sample were included in this analysis. Solid-enzyme immunoassay methods were used to measure the presence of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies in serum to the Herpes virus family and to T. gondii. There was no significant association between serologic evidence of infection with human Herpes viruses or T. gondii and the risk of subclinical positive experience of psychosis. Subjects with a positive serological reaction to Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) had higher scores on the positive dimension of psychosis measured by CAPE (b = 0.03, P = 0.02). This significant association was observed in males, but not in females. The current study suggests that there is no significant association between serological evidence of infection to human Herpes viruses and positive subclinical experience of psychosis, whereas there was an association between EBV infection and subclinical psychotic symptoms in boys.

Tagged: adolescents, community sample, Epidemiology, epstein-barr-virus, general-population, herpes viruses, individuals, multiple sclerosis, nia, onset schizophrenia, psychiatry, risk, Toxoplasma gondii, toxoplasma-gondii episode schizophrea

Mental health

Toxoplasma gondii & Human Phenotype

Compendium of Known Effects and Ongoing Research

multiple sclerosis

Is Toxoplasma gondii playing a positive role in multiple sclerosis risk? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Is Toxoplasma gondii infection protective against multiple sclerosis risk?

Relationship of Toxoplasma Gondii Exposure with Multiple Sclerosis

Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity is negatively associated with multiple sclerosis

Possible link between Toxoplasma gondii and the anosmia associated with neurodegenerative diseases

Antibodies to infectious agents and the positive symptom dimension of subclinical psychosis: The TRAILS study