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Toxoplasma gondii & Human Phenotype

Compendium of Known Effects and Ongoing Research

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The association between immune markers and recent suicide attempts in patients with serious mental illness: A pilot study

March 23, 2017
Dickerson, F., Adamos, M., Katsafanas, E., Khushalani, S., Origoni, A., Savage, C., Schweinfurth, L., Stallings, C., Sweeney, K., Alaedini, A., Uhde, M., Severance, E., Wilcox, H. C., Yolken, R.
Psychiatry Research 2017;255:8-12
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Previous studies have identified elevations in markers of gastrointestinal inflammation in schizophrenia and mood disorders but studies have not measured the association between these markers and recent suicide attempts. We assessed 210 patients receiving treatment for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression. We employed the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale to identify recent and lifetime suicide attempts (actual, aborted, and interrupted). Psychiatric participants and a control group of 72 individuals without a psychiatric disorder had a blood sample drawn from which were measured specific markers of gastrointestinal inflammation and also C-Reactive protein (CRP). A total of 20 (10%) of psychiatric participants had a suicide attempt in the previous one month and 95 (45%) an attempt during their lifetime but not in the previous one month. The recent attempters had significantly elevated levels of antibodies to yeast mannan from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (ASCA), the food antigen gliadin, and bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) compared with the non-psychiatric group when adjusting for demographic and clinical variables. These markers were not elevated in individuals with a past, but not recent, suicide attempt history. Our study indicates that there is evidence of gastrointestinal inflammation in some individuals who have had a recent suicide attempt.

Tagged: activation, attempted, biomarkers, bipolar disorder, celiac-disease, gastrointestinal, inflammation, inflammatory-bowel-disease, metaanalysis, psychiatric-disorders, rating-scale, Schizophrenia, sensitivity, suicide, Toxoplasma gondii

Mental health

Bipolar disorder with psychotic features and ocular toxoplasmosis

January 3, 2017
Del Grande, C., Contini, C., Schiavi, E., Rutigliano, G., Maritati, M., Seraceni, S., Pinto, B., Dell'Osso, L., Bruschi, F.
Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 2017; 205: 192-195
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Recent evidence suggests the involvement of Toxoplasma gondii infection in the emergence of psychotic and affective disorders. In this report, we describe the case of a young Brazilian woman affected by recurrent ocular toxoplasmosis and presenting with a manic episode with psychotic features in the context of a diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder (BD), type I. We observed a relationship between ocular manifestations and the clinical course of bipolar illness, confirmed by molecular analyses (nested-PCR), as well as by the high level of T. gondii specific IgG. This case report is the first showing the presence of circulating parasite DNA at the time of occurrence of psychiatric symptoms, thus providing further support for a possible role of the parasite in the pathogenesis of some cases of BD.

Tagged: antibodies, bipolar disorder, gondii infection, individuals, metaanalysis, mood disorders, nested pcr, ocular toxoplasmosis, psychosis, rating-scale, retinochoroiditis, Schizophrenia, seropositivity, suicide attempts, toxoplasma gondii infection

Mental health

Suicide attempts and markers of immune response in individuals with serious mental illness

January 3, 2017
Dickerson, F., Wilcox, H. C., Adamos, M., Katsafanas, E., Khushalani, S., Origoni, A., Savage, C., Schweinfurth, L., Stallings, C., Sweeney, K., Yolken, R.
Journal of Psychiatric Research 2017; 87: 37-43
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Previous studies have identified elevations in antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in individuals with a history of suicide attempts but studies have not measured the association between suicide attempts and a panel of antibody markers. We assessed 162 patients receiving treatment for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression on the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale for suicide attempt history and other clinical measures. All participants had a blood sample drawn from which were measured antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii and other neurotropic infectious agents. A total of 72 (44%) of participants had a lifetime suicide attempt; these individuals had elevated levels of IgM class antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii and Cytomegalovirus (CMV). We also found an association between the levels of these antibodies and the number of suicide attempts. There was a particularly strong odds of a suicide attempt history in individuals who had elevated levels of IgM antibodies to both Toxoplasma gondii and to CMV suggesting an additive risk associated with the antibodies. These findings remained significant when adjusting for current cigarette smoking and history of drug/alcohol use which were also associated with suicide attempts. We did not find an association between a suicide attempt history and IgG class antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii, CMV, or IgM or IgG antibodies to the Epstein Barr Virus or other antigens tested. The identification of blood-based antibody markers should provide for more personalized methods for the assessment and treatment, and ultimately prevention, of suicide attempts in individuals with serious mental illnesses. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tagged: barr-virus infection, biomarkers, bipolar disorder, cytomegalovirus-infection, immunoglobulin-m antibodies, psychological autopsy, rating-scale, risk factors, Schizophrenia, suicide, toll-like receptors, Toxoplasma, toxoplasma gondii infection

Mental health

Treatment with anti-toxoplasmic activity (TATA) for Toxoplasma positive patients with bipolar disorders or schizophrenia: A cross-sectional study

October 9, 2015 Leave a Comment
Fond, G., Boyer, L., Gaman, A., Laouamri, H., Attiba, D., Richard, J. R., Delavest, M., Houenou, J., Le Corvoisier, P., Charron, D., Krishnamoorthy, R., Oliveira, J., Tamouza, R., Yolken, R., Dickerson, F., Leboyer, M., Hamdani, N.
Journal of Psychiatric Research 2015; 63: 58-64.
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Objective: The association between Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity and respectively Bipolar Disorder (BD) and Schizophrenia/Schizoaffective disorder (SZ) is one of the most studied link between one pathogen and psychiatric disorders. The aim of the present study was thus to retrospectively determine if the administration of an antipsychotic and/or a mood stabilizer having known in vitro Anti-Toxoplasmic Activity (TATA+) was associated with a better clinical outcome in a population of 152 BD or 114 SZ patients and seropositive for T gondii infection compared to patients receiving a treatment without anti-toxoplasmic activity (TATA-). Methods: This multicenter study was conducted in an academic public hospital during a 3-years period between 2009 and 2011. All consecutive inpatients and outpatients with SZ or BD diagnosis with a stable treatment for more than 4 weeks were recruited. socio-demographic and clinical characteristics measured with validated scales as well as a serological status for toxoplasmic infection were included. Treatments were classified according to their in vitro antitoxoplasmic activity. A multivariate model was used to determine the clinical characteristics that were significantly different between patients receiving a treatment with no antitoxoplasmic activity compared to others. Results: BD patients with positive serum antibodies against T gondii presented more lifetime depressive episodes (p = 0.048) after adjustment forage, sex and sociodemographic characteristics when treated by drug having no anti-toxo activity, compared to patients having received drugs with anti-toxo activity. A significant difference was not found in BD toxonegative patients and in SZ toxopositive or toxonegative patients. Conclusions: It seems to be of importance to consider prescribing a drug with a clear anti-toxoplasmic activity (TATA+) for BD patients seropositive to T. gondii, in particular valproate that was found as the mood stabilizer with the highest antitoxoplasmic activity. Prospective randomized controlled trials are warranted to confirm this preliminary data.

Tagged: agents, antipsychotic drugs, bipolar disorder, depression, drugs, gondii infection, individuals, metaanalysis, mood stabilizer, onset, rating-scale, Schizophrenia, suicide attempts, Toxoplasma gondii, validity, valproate

Mental health

Antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in individuals with mania

October 10, 2014 Leave a Comment
Dickerson, F., Stallings, C., Origoni, A., Vaughan, C., Katsafanas, E., Khushalani, S., Yolken, R.
Bipolar Disorders 2014; 16: 129-136
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Objectives Increased rates of infection with Toxoplasma gondii have been found in individuals with schizophrenia as compared to control groups but this issue has not been studied in mania. Methods We measured immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM class antibodies to T.gondii in 57 individuals with mania who were assessed at up to three time-points. We also measured these antibodies in 743 individuals in other psychiatric groups and in 314 non-psychiatric controls. T.gondii antibody levels were compared among groups by multivariate analyses. IgG class and IgM class antibodies to cytomegalovirus were also measured in the same samples. T.gondii antibody levels were also compared over time in the mania group. Results The mania group had a significantly elevated level of IgM antibodies to T.gondii as compared to the control individuals without a psychiatric diagnosis [odds ratio (OR)=2.33, pOR=2.32, pT.gondii were not found in individuals with the other psychiatric diagnoses. We also did not find an increased level of IgG class antibodies to T.gondii or IgG or IgM class antibodies to CMV in the individuals with mania. Within the mania group, there was a significant difference between the prevalences of increased levels of T.gondii IgM at the baseline and the follow-up time-point (t=2.97, p<0.003). Conclusions Infection with T.gondii may confer risk for mania.

Tagged: bipolar disorder, c-reactive protein, infection, infection risk, mania, mood disorders, parasite toxoplasma gondii, rating-scale, Schizophrenia, sensitivity, suicide attempts, validity

Mental health

Topics

  • Behavior 105
  • Cognitive functions 64
  • Mental health 439
  • Morphology 6
  • Motor functions 10
  • Personality 36
  • Physical health 134
  • Reproduction 36
  • Reviews 40
  • Sensory functions 3
  • Uncategorized 2

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Recent articles

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  • The role of latent toxoplasmosis in the aetiopathogenesis of schizophrenia–the risk factor or an indication of a contact with cat? February 6, 2020
  • The Association between Toxoplasma gondii Infection and Risk of Parkinson’s Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis February 6, 2020

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