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Toxoplasma gondii & Human Phenotype

Compendium of Known Effects and Ongoing Research

astrocytes

Inflammatory markers in recent onset psychosis and chronic schizophrenia

March 23, 2016
Dickerson, F., Stallings, C., Origoni, A., Schroeder, J., Katsafanas, E., Schweinfurth, L., Savage, C., Khushalani, S., Yolken, R.
Schizophrenia Bulletin 2016; 42: 134-141
Click for abstract
Background. Immune markers have been associated with schizophrenia, but few studies have examined multiple markers in both recent onset and chronic schizophrenia patients. Methods. The sample of 588 individuals included 79 with recent onset psychosis, 249 with chronic schizophrenia, and 260 controls. A combined inflammation score was calculated by principal components factor analysis of the levels of C-reactive protein, Pentraxin 3, and IgG antibodies to gliadin, casein, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae measured in blood samples. Inflammation scores among groups were compared by multivariate analyses. Results. The chronic schizophrenia group showed significant elevations in the combined inflammation score compared with controls. The recent onset group surprisingly showed a reduction in the combined inflammation score. Consistent with these findings, the chronic schizophrenia group had significantly increased odds of a combined inflammation score greater than the 75th and the 90th percentile of that of the controls. The recent onset group had significantly increased odds of a combined inflammation score less than the 10th and the 25th percentile level of the controls. Conclusions. The recent onset of psychosis may be associated with inherent deficits in innate immunity. Individuals later in the course of disease may have increased levels of innate immunity. The reasons for these changes are not known with certainty but may be related to compensatory increases as the disease progresses. Longitudinal studies are needed to determine the course of immune abnormalities in schizophrenia and their role in the clinical manifestations of the disorder.

Tagged: association, astrocytes, autoimmune diseases, c-reactive protein, dysfunction, immunity, inflammation, innate immunity, population, psychosis, risk, Schizophrenia, systém, toxoplasma gondii infection

Mental health

Serological survey of Toxoplasma gondii in schizophrenia patients referred to Psychiatric Hospital, Sari City, Iran

October 19, 2010
Daryani, A., Sharif, M., Hosseini, S. H., Karimi, S. A., Gholami, S.
Tropical Biomedicine 2010; 27: 476-482
Click for abstract
Schizophrenia is a severe neuropsychiatric disorder of unknown etiology. As there is little information about the association between Toxoplasma gondii infection and schizophrenia in Iran, we investigated the seroprevalence of T. gondii in these patients and compared with that obtained in control individuals in Sari City, Iran, 2009. Eighty schizophrenia patients and 99 healthy people were examined for the presence of IgG and IgM antibodies to T. gondii by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Overall prevalence rates of anti-T. gondii antibodies (IgG/IgM) in case and control groups were 72.5% and 61.6%, respectively (P>0.05). IgG antibodies indicating chronic form of toxoplasmosis were found in 28 (35%) and 25 (25.3%) of case and control groups, respectively (P>0.05). IgM antibodies (acute form) were also seen in 9 (11.2%) and 11 (11.1%) of case and control individuals, respectively (P>0.05). The highest 10(th) percentile of IgG titers in schizophrenia individuals (18.8%) was significantly higher than control group (6.1%, P=0.02). As prevalence rate of T. gondii antibodies in patients with schizophrenia was high, it seems that designing a cohort study will determine the causative relationship between Toxoplasma infection and schizophrenia.

Tagged: antibodies, astrocytes, cells, host, individuals, infection, neurons, parasites, primary culture, recent-onset schizophrenia

Mental health

The diagnosis of a personality disorder increases the likelihood for seropositivity to Toxoplasma gondii in psychiatric patients

October 19, 2010
Hinze-Selch, D., Daubener, W., Erdag, S., Wilms, S.
Folia Parasitol (Praha) 2010; 57: 129-135
Click for abstract
Individuals serologically positive for the chronic infection with the parasite Toxoplasma gondii (TG) display certain personality traits differently from uninfected individuals. Experimental data in mice demonstrate that TG infection modulates behaviour. However, psychiatric patients with a personality disorder have not yet been investigated systematically. In our sample containing 896 psychiatric inpatients with the primary diagnoses of schizophrenia, major depression, schizoaffective or bipolar disorder and 214 psychiatrically unaffected controls (same geographic region, sampled during same time period) we analysed for effects of the additional diagnosis of a personality disorder in the patients. Psychiatrically, a patient can meet the criteria of a personality disorder additionally to any of the mentioned primary diagnoses. We applied logistic regression and cross-table statistics, separated groups by the presence/absence of a personality disorder (ICD-10) and adjusted for age between groups. We found that among all patients the additional diagnosis of a personality disorder was significantly associated with TG infection. Furthermore, only in the patients with an additional personality disorder medium titre responses (1:16-1:64) were associated with chronic course and high C-reactive protein (CRP) levels whereas high titre response (>1:64) was associated with a more acute recurrent clinical course. In the older individuals only there was a preponderance of medium titre responses (1:16-1:64) among the patients with personality disorder compared to those without and controls. We conclude that TG infection and the host's response to it make a difference for the diagnosis of a personality disorder. Our data support that TG infection can modulate human behaviour and personality traits.

Tagged: 3-dioxygenase, activation, association, astrocytes, cells, individuals, indoleamine 2, infection, Major depression, nitric-oxide synthase, personality-disorder, Schizophrenia, serology, Toxoplasma gondii, tryptophan depletion

BehaviorMental health

A controlled prospective study of Toxoplasma gondii infection in individuals with schizophrenia: Beyond seroprevalence

October 27, 2007
Hinze-Selch, D., Daubener, W., Eggert, L., Erdag, S., Stoltenberg, R., Wilms, S.
Schizophrenia Bulletin 2007; 33: 782-788.
Click for abstract
Toxoplasma gondii (TG) infection has been reported to be more frequent in schizophrenia. The interaction of the lifelong persisting parasite with the host's immune system involves T-cell/interferon-gamma-induced degradation of tryptophan and provides a challenge to the host well beyond a possible role in the etiology of schizophrenia. The hypothesis we tested in this study was that TG infection may be more frequent (serofrequency) and/or more intense (serointensity) in patients with schizophrenia or major depression compared with psychiatrically healthy controls. In addition, these measures are associated with the clinical course. We did a cross-sectional, prospective investigation of individuals with schizophrenia (n = 277) and major depression (n = 465) admitted to our department (2002-2005) and of healthy controls (n = 214), with all groups adjusted for age and geographic home region. Serofrequency was comparable between the groups, but serointensity was significantly higher in the patients. In individuals with schizophrenia, serointensity was significantly positively associated with C-reactive protein levels and leukocyte counts, and first-episode patients yielded significantly higher serotiters. Immunomodulatory medication was associated with decreased serotiters. In addition, the route of infection appears to differ between patients and controls. Thus, our results support increased host responses to TG infection in the patients, as well as increased titers in first-episode patients with schizophrenia; this may relate to the shifted T-helper 1/2 status described in these patients. Therefore, we suggest that TG infection, particularly in individuals with schizophrenia, is an important environmental factor in the interaction between psychiatric vulnerability, genetic background, immunomodulation, and the neurotransmitter systems.

Tagged: 2, 3-dioxygenase, activation, antibodies, astrocytes, cells, depression, frontal-cortex, immune, immunity, infection, nitric-oxide synthase, psychosis, Toxoplasma gondii, tryptophan, tryptophan depletion

Mental health

Anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in patients with schizophrenia-preliminary findings in a Turkish sample

January 10, 2007
Cetinkaya, Z., Yazar, S., Gecici, O., Namli, M. N.
Schizophrenia Bulletin 2007;33: 789-791
Click for abstract
Schizophrenia is a serious neuropsychiatric disease of uncertain etiology. We investigated the seropositivity rate for anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgNI antibodies by enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in patients with schizophrenia to ascertain a possible relationship between Toxoplasma gondii and schizophrenia. We selected 100 patients with schizophrenia, 50 with depressive disorder, and 50 healthy volunteers to investigate the seropositivity rate of anti-Toxoplasma antibodies by ELISA. The seropositivity rate for anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibodies among schizophrenia patients (66%) was significantly higher than among patients with depressive disorder or healthy volunteers (P <.01). Thus, there might be a causal relationship between toxoplasmosis and the etiology of schizophrenia.

Tagged: astrocytes, cryptogenic epilepsy, elisa, encephalitis, individuals, neurons, Schizophrenia, Toxoplasma gondii

Mental health

Toxoplasma gondii and schizophrenia

October 30, 2003
Torrey EF, Yolken RH.
Emerging Infectious Diseases 2003; 9: 1375-1380.
Click for abstract
Recent epidemiologic studies indicate that infectious agents may contribute to some cases of schizophrenia. In animals, infection with Toxoplasma gondii can alter behavior and neurotransmitter function. In humans, acute infection with T gondii can produce psychotic symptoms similar to those displayed by persons with schizophrenia. Since 1953, a total of 19 studies of T gondii antibodies in persons with schizophrenia and other severe psychiatric disorders and in controls have been reported; 18 reported a higher percentage of antibodies in the affected persons; in 11 studies the difference was statistically significant. Two other studies found that exposure to cats in childhood was a risk factor for the development of schizophrenia. Some medications used to treat schizophrenia inhibit the replication of T gondii in cell culture. Establishing the role of T gondii in the etiopathogenesis of schizophrenia might lead to new medications for its prevention and treatment.

Tagged: antibodies, astrocytes, bipolar disorder, frontal-cortex, individuals, infection, Ireland, neospora-caninum, onset schizophrenia, psychoses

Mental health

Toxoplasma gondii and schizophrenia

January 4, 2003
Torrey, E. F., Yolken, R. H.
Emerging Infectious Diseases 2003; 9: 1375-1380
Click for abstract
Recent epidemiologic studies indicate that infectious agents may contribute to some cases of schizophrenia. In animals, infection with Toxoplasma gondii can alter behavior and neurotransmitter function. In humans, acute infection with T gondii can produce psychotic symptoms similar to those displayed by persons with schizophrenia. Since 1953, a total of 19 studies of T gondii antibodies in persons with schizophrenia and other severe psychiatric disorders and in controls have been reported; 18 reported a higher percentage of antibodies in the affected persons; in 11 studies the difference was statistically significant. Two other studies found that exposure to cats in childhood was a risk factor for the development of schizophrenia. Some medications used to treat schizophrenia inhibit the replication of T gondii in cell culture. Establishing the role of T gondii in the etiopathogenesis of schizophrenia might lead to new medications for its prevention and treatment.

Tagged: antibodies, astrocytes, bipolar disorder, frontal-cortex, individuals, infection, Ireland, neospora-caninum, onset schizophrenia, psychoses

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

  • Mortality Patterns of Toxoplasmosis and Its Comorbidities in Tanzania: A 10-Year Retrospective Hospital-Based Survey February 6, 2020
  • 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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