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Toxoplasma gondii & Human Phenotype

Compendium of Known Effects and Ongoing Research

psychotic disorders

The association between Toxoplasma and the psychosis continuum in a general population setting

October 2, 2017 26 Comments
Lindgren, M., Torniainen-Holm, M., Yolken, R., Suvisaari, J.
Schizophrenia Bulletin 2017; 43: S108-S109
Click for abstract
Background: An increased prevalence of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii has been found to be associated with psychosis. An association with positive symptom severity in a psychosis risk sample has also been reported. However, the possible association between toxoplasma and positive symptoms in the general population is unknown. Methods: We investigated whether Toxoplasma gondii is associated with psychosis diagnoses and psychotic symptoms in the general population. We used data from Health 2000, a large health survey of the Finnish population aged 30 and older (n = 5906). Levels of IgG antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii were determined and seropositivity defined as a cutoff of 50 IU/ml. Lifetime psychotic symptoms were identified with section G of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview, Munich version (M-CIDI). The CIDI screen was considered positive if the interviewee reported any clinically relevant symptom or at least 3 symptoms regardless of clinical relevance. Lifetime psychotic disorders were screened from the sample and were diagnosed with DSM-IV using case notes and SCID-I interview. The possible diagnoses were: any psychotic disorder, functional psychosis, schizophrenia, other nonaffective psychosis, and affective psychosis. Results: The seroprevalence of Toxoplasma in the population was 13%; 12% of the participants reported at least one psychotic symptom, the most common symptoms being delusions of reference and suspicion, and 4% were considered positive for the CIDI screen. In a logistic regression model, toxoplasma seropositivity was the only significant predictor of the CIDI screen status, when other variables associated with toxoplasma were adjusted for (age, gender, education, region of residence, cat ownership, and C-reactive protein measuring inflammation). Toxoplasma infection was not associated with any psychosis diagnoses. Conclusion: In a large sample representing the whole Finnish population aged 30 and older, we found that toxoplasma infection predicted psychotic symptoms but not psychosis diagnoses. The association between psychotic symptoms and toxoplasma was not explained by inflammation.

Tagged: affective disorders, antibodies, c-reactive protein, delusions, diagnostic and statistical manual, finnish, gender, health surveys, igg antibody, infection, inflammation, ownership, patient interview, psychotic, psychotic disorders, psychotic symptom, Schizophrenia, seroprevalence, severe combined immunodeficiency, Toxoplasma, Toxoplasma gondii

Mental health

Maternal T-gondii, offspring bipolar disorder and neurocognition

January 4, 2016
Freedman, D., Bao, Y. Y., Shen, L., Schaefer, C. A., Brown, A. S.
Psychiatry Research 2016, 243: 382-389
Click for abstract
Prenatal exposure to maternal Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) IgG antibody titer has been associated previously with an increased risk of offspring schizophrenia (SZ) and cognitive impairment. We examined maternal T gondii, offspring bipolar disorder (BP) and childhood cognition using a population based birth cohort. Maternal sera, drawn in the third trimester, were analyzed for T. gondii IgG antibody titer, and offspring cognition at ages 5 and 9-11 was measured with the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) and the Raven Matrices (Raven). Raw scores were standardized and the ages combined. Potential cases with BP from the cohort were identified by database linkages. This protocol identified 85 cases who were matched 1:2 to controls. Maternal T. gondii IgG was not associated with the risk of BP in offspring. Neither moderate [HR = 1.43 (CI: 0.49, 4.17)] nor high IgG titer [HR=1.6 [CI: 0.74, 3.48)] were associated with offspring BP. Associations were not observed between maternal T gondii and BP with psychotic features or BP type 1. In addition, maternal T gondii was not associated with childhood cognition. Our study suggests that T. gondii may be specific to SZ among major psychotic disorders, though further studies with larger sample sizes are required. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tagged: 1st-episode schizophrenia, adult schizophrenia, birth cohort, cognition, cognitive impairment, congenital toxoplasmosis, danish draft-board, infectious agents, mood disorders, neurodevelopment, of-the-literature, ppvt, prenatal exposure, psychotic disorders, raven matrices, spectrum disorder, Toxoplasma gondii

Mental health

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

October 9, 2014 28 Comments
Torrey EF, Yolken RH.
Schizophrenia Research 2014; 159: 299-302
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Being born in and/or raised in an urban area is a proven risk factor for developing schizophrenia. Migrating from countries such as Jamaica or Morocco to countries such as England or the Netherlands is also a proven risk factor for developing schizophrenia. The transmission of Toxoplasma gondii oocysts to children is reviewed and proposed as a partial explanation for both of these risk factors.

Tagged: association, east london, netherlands, oocysts, prevalence, psychotic disorders, rheumatoid-arthritis, rural difference, s birth cohorts, Toxoplasma gondii, toxoplasmosis, urban risk, urbanization

Mental health

The psychiatric complications of toxoplasmosis

November 9, 1959
Minto A, Roberts FJ
Lancet 1959: 1180-1182
Tagged: *medical records, humans, mental-disorders, psychotic disorders, toxoplasmosis/*psychology

Mental health

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