prevalence – Toxoplasma gondii & Human Phenotype

Mortality Patterns of Toxoplasmosis and Its Comorbidities in Tanzania: A 10-Year Retrospective Hospital-Based Survey

February 6, 2020
Mboera, L. E. G., Kishamawe, C., Kimario, E., Rumisha, S. F.
Frontiers in Public Health 2019, 7

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Prevalence and risk factors of Toxoplasma gondii infection among pregnant women in Hormozgan Province, South of Iran

February 4, 2020
Khademi, S. Z., Ghaffarifar, F., Dalimi, A., Davoodian, P., Abdoli, A.
Iranian Journal of Parasitology 2019, 14: 167 - 173

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The relationship between Toxoplasma gondii IgG antibodies and generalized anxiety disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder in children and adolescents: a new approach

February 1, 2020
Akaltun, I., Kara, S. S., Kara, T.,
Nordic Journal of Psychiatry 2019, 72: 57 - 62

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Is there any association between Toxoplasma gondii infection and depression? A systematic review and meta-analysis

January 31, 2020
Chegeni, T. N., Sharif, M., Sarvi, S., Moosazadeh, M., Montazeri, M., Aghayan, S. A., Balalami, N. J., Gholami, S., Hosseininejad, Z., Saberi, R., Anvari, D., Gohardehi, S., Daryani, A.
PLoS ONE 2019, 14

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Background Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is an obligate intracellular opportunistic parasite that is the causative agent of toxoplasmosis. This parasite accounts for mental disorders; however, the relationship between T. gondii infection and depressive disorder is unclear. Regarding this, the present systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the scientific evidence regarding the potential association between major depression disorder (MDD) and Toxoplasma infection. Methods For the purpose of the study, the articles related to the subject of interest were systematically searched in seven electronic databases. Special attention was given to the studies examining T. gondii seropositivity level in depressed patients and controls. Results The search process resulted in the identification of a total of 30 publications meeting the inclusion criteria and published up to April 2018 for the systematic review. Furthermore, 29 studies met the inclusion criteria to be entered into meta-analysis. Our meta-analysis involved the review of cross-sectional studies including 1657 depressed patients and 19565 individuals as controls and case-control studies entailing 1311 depressed cases and 6015 controls without depression. 1582 depressed people participated in cross-sectional studies whose results were reported as odds ratio (OR). In addition, the total number of participants was 15068 in this type of studies. Statistical analysis indicated that the pooled OR of the risk of anti-T. gondii IgG antibody in depressed individuals in case-control and cross-sectional studies was 1.15 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.95-1.39). Conclusions As the findings of the reviewed articles indicated, toxoplasmosis is not a risk factor for MDD. However, it is necessary to perform further research to clarify the detailed association between T. gondii and dysthymia or mild and moderate depression. Furthermore, it is recommended to better investigate the effect of antibody titers on the relationship between depression and T. gondii infection.

Sero-prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and associated risk factors among psychiatric outpatients attending University of Gondar Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia

January 31, 2020
Achaw, B., Tesfa, H., Zeleke, A.J., Worku, L., Addisu, A., Yigzaw, N., Tegegne, Y.
BMC Infectious Diseases 2019, 19 Ethiopia

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BackgroundToxoplasmosis is caused by an obligatory intracellular coccidian protozoan organism, Toxoplasma gondii. It has a worldwide distribution, affecting one-third of the world population. Psychiatric patients have a higher risk of exposure to Toxoplasma gondii infection due to lack of good personal hygiene. The burden of toxoplasmosis among psychiatric patients in Ethiopia has not been studied extensively. Thus, the study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and associated risk factors among psychiatric outpatients at the University of Gondar Comprehensive and Specialized Hospital Psychiatric clinic.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted at the University of Gondar Comprehensive and Specialized Hospital from February to May 2018. Venous blood was collected from 304 study participants (152 psychiatric outpatients and 152 control groups). Anti-toxoplasma antibodies were determined using Onsite Toxo immunoglobulin G (IgG) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) Rapid Test. A Chi-square test was carried out to compare the two groups and a logistic regression analysis was conducted to check the association between variables. P-value less than 0.05 was taken as statistically significant.ResultsThe seroprevalence rate of anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgG antibodies was 33.6, and 16.4% in the psychiatric outpatients and the control samples, respectively. Anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgM sero-prevalence was 1.3% in the former patients and 3.9% in the latter group. Owing cat (AOR=2.862 95% CI=1.445-5.666 P=0.003), cleaning cat excreta (AOR=2.966 95% CI=1.317-2.652 P=0.007), and farming (AOR=2.058 95% CI=1.018-4.163 P=0.045) were found to be significantly associated with the sero-prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgG antibody.ConclusionsThis study highlighted that, the prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgG antibodies was significantly higher in psychiatric outpatients than the control group (p=0.001). Cat ownership, cleaning of cat excreta, and farming were found to be statistically significantly associated with the seroprevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgG antibody.

Toxoplasma gondii as a possible causative pathogen of type-1 diabetes mellitus: Evidence from case-control and experimental studies

September 3, 2018
Beshay, E. V. N., El-Refai, S. A., Helwa, M. A., Atia, A. F., Dawoud, M. M.
Experimental Parasitology 2018; 188: 93-101

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Toxoplasma gondii is the causative parasite of an important worldwide disease. This obligate intracellular parasite can infect and replicate inside any nucleated cells including those of pancreas. Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas and is responsible for controlling blood glucose concentration. Deficiency of insulin production accounts for the occurrence of type-1 diabetes mellitus (T1D). Thus, theoretically, toxoplasmosis could play a possible role in the development of T1D. However, the studies on this theory are still insufficient; therefore, this work was designed. Interestingly, in the case-control study, seropositivity of anti-Toxoplasma IgG was significantly higher among T1D (86.37%) in comparison with T2D (66.67%) and the control group (60%). Moreover, the odd ratio of chronic toxoplasmosis was 4.2 folds higher among T1D patients than among controls. The experimental study included acute and chronic Me49 T gondii infected mice groups in addition to a control group. Pathological examination revealed the presence of T gondii zoites adjacent to the islets of Langerhans and in pancreatic parenchyma of acutely infected mice. With chronic infection, there was a significant reduction of islets number and sizes in association with grade-1 insulitis. Additionally, the immunohistochemical study showed significant infiltration of the islets of chronically infected mice by CD8(+) and CD45(+) immune cells. In contrary to the control group, the islets of the chronic group showed significantly higher expression of the apoptotic marker caspase-3 and a significantly lower expression of the proliferation marker Ki69. Finally, a significant reduction of insulin expression in the islets of chronic infection group was detected in association with a significant increase in serum glucose concentrations; however, the establishment of diabetes did not occur throughout this work. Thus, this study presents an evidence for the probable role of chronic toxoplasmosis in the development of T1D which should be considered in further studies

Toxoplasmosis seroprevalence in rheumatoid arthritis patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis

August 31, 2018
Hosseininejad, Z., Sharif, M., Sarvi, S., Amouei, A., Hosseini, S. A., Chegeni, T. N., Anvari, D., Saberi, R., Gohardehi, S., Mizani, A., Sadeghi, M., Daryani, A.
Plos Neglected Tropical Diseases 2018; 12

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The relation of secondary sex ratio and miscarriage history with Toxoplasma gondii infection

August 31, 2018
Shojaee, S.,Teimouri, A., Keshavarz, H., Azami, S. J., Nouri, S.
Bmc Infectious Diseases 2018; 18: 307

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Seroepidemiological study of Toxoplasma gondii infection among psychiatric patients in Mashhad, Northeast of Iran

October 3, 2017
Abdollahian, E., Shafiei, R., Mokhber, N., Kalantar, K., Fata, A.
Iranian Journal of Parasitology 2017; 12: 117-122

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Parkinson’s disease and Toxoplasma gondii infection: Sero-molecular assess the possible link among patients

October 2, 2017
Fallahi, S., Rostami, A., Birjandi, M., Zebardast, N., Kheirandish, F., Spotin, A.
Acta Tropica 2017; 173: 97-101

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Seropositivity of Toxoplasma gondii and Toxocara spp. in children with cryptogenic epilepsy, Benha, Egypt

October 6, 2016
Eraky, M.A., Abdel-Hady, S., Abdallah, K.F.
Korean Journal of Parasitology 2016; 54: 335-338.

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Is Toxoplasma gondii infection a risk factor for leukemia? An evidence-based meta-analysis

October 6, 2016
Huang, Y., Chang, A. S., Wang, J. S., Zeng, X. Q.,
Medical Science Monitor 2016; 22.

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Influence of Toxoplasma gondii infection on symptoms and signs of premenstrual syndrome: A cross-sectional study.

September 4, 2016
Alvarado-Esquivel, C., Sanchez-Anguiano, L. F., Hernandez-Tinoco, J., Perez-Alamos, A. R., Rico-Almochantaf, Y. D., Estrada-Martinez, S., Vaquera-Enriquez, R., Diaz-Herrera, A., Ramos-Nevarez, A., Sandoval-Carrillo, A. A., Salas-Pacheco, J. M., Cerrillo-Soto, S. M., Antuna-Salcido, E. I., Liesenfeld, O., Guido-Arreola, C. A.
European Journal of Microbiology and Immunology 2016; 6: 298-305

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

May 29, 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

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Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence in the Portuguese population: comparison of three cross-sectional studies spanning three decades

May 24, 2016
Gargate, M. J., Ferreira, I., Vilares, A., Martins, S., Cardoso, C., Silva, S., Nunes, B., Gomes, J. P.
Bmj Open 2016; 6: ARTN e011648 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-011648

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Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in patients with Alzheimer’s disease

January 4, 2016
Rashno, M. M., Fallahi, S., Kheirandish, F., Bagheri, S., Kayedi, M. H., Birjandi, M.
Archives of Clinical Infectious Diseases 2016, 11: ARTN e37205 10.5812/archcid.37205

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Background: Toxoplasmosis is one of the most important diseases in humans and animals. Almost one-third of the human population around the world is infected with toxoplasmosis. The agent of this parasitic disease is a protozoan called Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) that causes encephalitis in people with suppressed immune systems and abortion, mental retardation and chorioretinitis in the fetus. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most important neurodegenerative disease. Objectives: Due to the high prevalence of toxoplasmosis in Iran and evidence on its impact on neurodegenerative diseases, this study was performed to evaluate the T. gondii infection in patients with AD. Patients and Methods: In this case-control study, after selection of alzheimer's patients (APs) referred to Imam Reza psychiatric hospital of Khorramabad, west of Iran, and healthy controls (each group consisted of 87 individuals), using the convenience sampling method and under the supervision of a neurologist, blood samples were taken during July 2014 and January 2015. The collected samples were transferred to the research laboratory of parasitology under cold chain storage and then, the serum samples were separated by centrifugation and were frozen at -20 degrees C until use. The T. gondii IgM and IgG specific antibodies were assessed in serum samples using commercial Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) kits. Results: The overall prevalence of T. gondii infection in patients with AD and the control group, using ELISA assay, was obtained as 66.6% (58/87) and 56.32% (49/87), respectively (P = 0.99). In this study, there was no significant association between T. gondii infection and AD. On the other hand, no statistically significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of infection with T. gondii (P = 0.99). Conclusions: Higher prevalence of T. gondii in patients with AD compared to controls showed the possible impact of this parasite in AD, which may exacerbate symptoms, and this requires special attention of specialists and patient families.

Maternal infection during pregnancy and risk of autism spectrum disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis

January 4, 2016
Jiang, H. Y., Xu, L. L., Shao, L., Xia, R. M., Yu, Z. H., Ling, Z. X., Yang, F., Deng, M., Ruan, B.
Brain Behavior and Immunity 2016; 58: 165-172

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Toxoplasma gondii infection in cancer patients: Prevalence, risk factors, genotypes and association with clinical diagnosis

October 9, 2015
Cong, W., Liu, G. H., Meng, Q. F., Dong, W., Qin, S. Y., Zhang, F. K., Zhang, X. Y., Wang, X. Y., Qian, A. D.,
Cancer Letters 2015; 359: 307-313

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Meta-analysis of anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgM antibodies in acute psychosis

October 6, 2015
Monroe, J.M., Buckley ,P.F., Miller, B.J.
Schizophrenia Bulletin 2015; 41: 989-998

Toxoplasmosis and epilepsy – systematic review and meta analysis

October 6, 2015
Ngoungou, E. B., Bhalla, D., Nzoghe, A., Darde, M. L., Preux, P. M.
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases 2015; 9

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A meta-analysis of the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in animals and humans in Ethiopia

May 28, 2015
Gebremedhin, E. Z., Tadesse, G.
Parasites & Vectors 2015; 8: Artn 291 10.1186/S13071-015-0901-7

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Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in spontaneous abortions in pregnant women

January 10, 2015
Anubhuti, Roy, R. R., Mittra, J. P., Begum, S. J.
Journal of Evolution of Medical and Dental Sciences-Jemds 2015; 4: 6763-6768

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Mortality in schizophrenia: Clinical and serological predictors

October 10, 2014
Dickerson, F., Stallings, C., Origoni, A., Schroeder, J., Khushalani, S., Yolken, R.
Schizophrenia Bulletin 2014; 40: 796-803

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The urban risk and migration risk factors for schizophrenia: Are cats the answer?

October 9, 2014
Torrey EF, Yolken RH.
Schizophrenia Research 2014; 159: 299-302

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Estimating the population attributable fraction for schizophrenia when Toxoplasma gondii is assumed absent in human populations

October 9, 2014
Smith G.
Preventive Veterinary Medicine 2014; 117: 425-435

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Relationship between Toxoplasma gondii infection and bipolar disorder in a French sample

October 11, 2013
Hamdani, N., Daban-Huard, C., Lajnef, M., Richard, J. R., Delavest, M., Godin, O., Le Guen, E., Vederine, F. E., Lepine, J. P., Jamain, S., Houenou, J., Le Corvoisier, P., Aoki, M., Moins-Teisserenc, H., Charron, D., Krishnamoorthy, R., Yolken, R., Dickerson, F., Tamouza, R., Leboyer, M.
Journal of Affective Disorders 2013; 148: 444-448

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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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Serologic detection of anti Toxoplasma gondii infection in diabetic patients

October 10, 2013
Shirbazou, S., Delpisheh, A., Mokhetari, R., Tavakoli, G.
Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal 2013; 15: 701-703

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Toxoplasma oocysts as a public health problem

October 9, 2013
Torrey, E.F., Yolken, R.H.
Trends in Parasitology 2013; 29: 380-384

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Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii parasite infection among people who died due to sudden death in the capital city of Warsaw and its vicinity

September 4, 2013
Samojlowicz, D., Borowska-Solonynko, A., Golab, E.
Przegled Epidemiologicny 2013; 67: 29-33

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BACKGROUND: It has recently been shown that the behavioural effects resulting from latent T. gondii infection in immunocompetent people could pose as a threat to their welfare. AIM. The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of T. gondii infection in a group of people who died suddenly in Warsaw and its vicinity. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The studied group (n = 169 people) included 42 road traffic accident victims who were driving a vehicle (bicycle (n = 6), a motorbike (n = 3), a motorcycle (n = 13), a car (n = 20)) prior to sudden death and 41 people whose death resulted from suicide. Blood samples were collected post-mortem and examined for the presence of T. gondii, IgG antibodies and ethyl alcohol. RESULTS: Of the 169 people tested, T. gondii IgG antibodies were found in the serum of 93 (55%) of which 25 (59.5%) were drivers and 26 (63.4%) people who died as a result of suicide. With respect to the prevalence of T. gondii infection no statistically significant differences were found between the study (61.4%) and control group (49.4%); (p = 0.09). A statistically significant result was recorded in the 38-58 age group between suicide and control groups (71.4% vs. 44.4%; p < 0.05). Positive test results for the presence of ethyl alcohol in the blood were reported among 49.7% of the studied population: 25.7% among drivers, 67.6% among suicides and 51.8% in the control group. To a statisctically siginificant degree, IgG T. gondii antibodies were found to occur more frequently in people with positive blood alcohol test results among suicides (72% vs. 50%; p < 0.05) and among the control group (60% vs. 40%; p < 0.05) than in their equivalents with negative test results. CONCLUSIONS: Our work confirmed the usefulness of serologically testing samples collected post-mortem for epidemiological purposes. The small size of the study group made it impossible to evaluate the potential associations between exposure to T. gondii infection and the probability of sudden death. The significance of Toxoplasma gondii infection as a risk factor for self-destructive behaviour merits further study.

Elevated suicide risks, cats and toxoplasmosis

October 11, 2012
Sparkes, A.
Veterinary Record 2012; 171: 303-304

Parasitic infections and pregnancy complications

October 29, 2011
Pavlinova, J., Kincekova, J., Ostro, A., Saksun, L., Vasilkova, Z., Konigova, A.
Helminthologia 2011; 48: 8-12

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Toxoplasma gondii infection and liver disease: a case-control study in a Northern Mexican population

October 19, 2011
Alvarado-Esquivel, C., Torres-Berumen, J. L., Estrada-Martinez, S., Liesenfeld, O., Mercado-Suarez, M. F.
Parasites & Vectors 2011; 4

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Serum antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii and Herpesvidae family viruses in individuals with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: a case-control study

October 16, 2011
Tedla, Y., Shibre, T., Ali, O., Tadele, G., Woldeamanuel, Y., Asrat, D., Aseffa, A., Mihret, W., Abebe, M., Alem, A., Medhin, G., Habte, A.
Ethiopian Medical Journal 2011; 49: 211-220

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Meta-analysis of three case controlled studies and an ecological study into the link between cryptogenic epilepsy and chronic toxoplasmosis

October 29, 2007
Palmer, B. S.
Seizure-European Journal of Epilepsy 2007;16: 657-663

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Can the common brain parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, influence human culture?

October 30, 2006
Lafferty, K.D.
Proceedings of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences 2006; 273: 2749-2755.

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Prevalence of Toxoplasma infection in first-episode schizophrenia and comparison between Toxoplasma-seropositive and Toxoplasma-seronegative schizophrenia

October 30, 2006
Wang, H. L., Wang, G. H., Li, Q. Y., Shu, C., Jiang, M. S., Guo, Y.
Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica 2006; 114: 40-48.

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Rats, cats, people and parasites: the impact of latent toxoplasmosis on behaviour

November 7, 2001
Webster, J. P.
Microbes and Infection 2001; 3: 1037-1045

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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.