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Toxoplasma gondii & Human Phenotype

Compendium of Known Effects and Ongoing Research

cryptogenic epilepsy

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in children with central nervous system disorders in Mansoura, Egypt: a case-control study

February 12, 2018
El-Beshbishi,S. N. , El-Tantawy,N. L, Elzeky, S. M., Abdalaziz , K. F. ,Atia, R. A.
Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 2018;112: 555-560
Click for abstract
Background: Toxoplasma gondii is a global infection with a crucial role in the development of neurological diseases. Data concerning the association between T. gondii and neurological illnesses in Egyptian children is scarce. Methods: A case-control study was conducted on 60 patients divided into children suffering from central nervous system manifestations without apparent chromosomal anomalies (n=30) and children with Down syndrome (n=30) recruited from Mansoura University Children's Hospital, Mansoura, Egypt. A total of 30 healthy children were included as controls. Demographics and clinical data were collected from all cases and Toxoplasma immunoglobulin (Ig) M and G antibodies were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Anti-T. gondii IgG was the most frequent antibody detected and the highest seropositivity rates were ranked for the neurologically disabled non-syndromic children, followed by Down syndrome, compared with controls (p <= 0.001). Statistically significant (p=0.05) associations were found between Toxoplasma IgG seropositivity and hydrocephalus and between Toxoplasma IgM and a history of contact with farm animals, soil and cats in children with Down syndrome. Conclusions: The association between Toxoplasma infection and neurological disorders in children should be kept in mind by paediatricians and assessment of T. gondii antibodies in early childhood is needed for timely management of afflicted patients.

Tagged: autism, children, cryptogenic epilepsy, down-syndrome, endocrine, Epidemiology, immune, individuals, neurological disorders, seropositivity, Toxoplasma gondii, toxoplasmosis

Mental healthPhysical health

A critical assessment of the association between postnatal toxoplasmosis and epilepsy in immune-competent patients

December 8, 2017
Uzorka, J. W., Arend, S. M.
European Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases 2017; 7:1111-1117
Tagged: africa, cryptogenic epilepsy, gondii, infection, toxocara, united-states

Mental health

A critical assessment of the association between postnatal toxoplasmosis and epilepsy in immune-competent patients

October 2, 2017 83 Comments
Uzorka, J.W., Arend ,S.M.
European Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases 2017; 36: 1111-1117
Click for abstract
While postnatal toxoplasmosis in immune-competent patients is generally considered a self-limiting and mild illness, it has been associated with a variety of more severe clinical manifestations. The causal relation with some manifestations, e.g. myocarditis, has been microbiologically proven, but this is not unequivocally so for other reported associations, such as with epilepsy. We aimed to systematically assess causality between postnatal toxoplasmosis and epilepsy in immune-competent patients. A literature search was performed. The Bradford Hill criteria for causality were used to score selected articles for each component of causality. Using an arbitrary but defined scoring system, the maximal score was 15 points (13 for case reports). Of 704 articles, five case reports or series and five case-control studies were selected. The strongest evidence for a causal relation was provided by two case reports and one case-control study, with a maximal causality score of, respectively, 9/13, 10/13 and 10/15. The remaining studies had a median causality score of 7 (range 5-9). No selection bias was identified, but 6/10 studies contained potential confounders (it was unsure whether the infection was pre- or postnatal acquired, or immunodeficiency was not specifically excluded). Based on the evaluation of the available literature, although scanty and of limited quality, a causal relationship between postnatal toxoplasmosis and epilepsy seems possible. More definite proof requires further research, e.g. by performing Toxoplasma serology in all de novo epilepsy cases.

Tagged: africa, cryptogenic epilepsy, gondii infection, toxocara, united-states

Mental healthPhysical health

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

October 6, 2016 14 Comments
Eraky, M.A., Abdel-Hady, S., Abdallah, K.F.
Korean Journal of Parasitology 2016; 54: 335-338.
Click for abstract
The present study aimed to investigate the possible association of Toxoplasma gondii and Toxocara spp. infections with cryptogenic epilepsy in children. The study was carried out between June 2014 and March 2015. Total 90 children (40 with cryptogenic epilepsy, 30 with non-cryptogenic epilepsy, and 20 healthy control children) were evaluated to determine the anti-Toxocara and anti-T. gondii IgG seropositivity using ELISA kits. Epileptic cases were selected from those attending the pediatrics outpatient clinic of Benha University Hospital, Pediatrics Neurology Unit, and from Benha Specialized Hospital of children. The results showed that the level of anti-T. gondii IgG seropositivity was significantly higher among children with cryptogenic epilepsy (20%) than among children with non-cryptogenic children (0%). In healthy controls (10%), there was no association between toxocariasis seropositivity and cryptogenic epilepsy (only 5.7%; 4 out of 70 cases) among cases and 10% (2 out of 20) among controls. Among toxocariasis IgG positive cases, 3 (7.5%) were cryptogenic, and only 1 (3.3%) was non-cryptogenic. These statistically significant results support the association between T. gondii infection and cryptogenic epilepsy while deny this association with toxocariasis.

Tagged: child, cryptogenic epilepsy, egypt, Epidemiology, ilae, infection, prevalence, seropositivity, toxocara, Toxoplasma

Mental healthPhysical health

Toxoplasmosis and epilepsy – systematic review and meta analysis

October 6, 2015 17 Comments
Ngoungou, E. B., Bhalla, D., Nzoghe, A., Darde, M. L., Preux, P. M.
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases 2015; 9
Click for abstract
Background Toxoplasmosis is an important, widespread, parasitic infection caused by Toxoplasma gondii. The chronic infection in immunocompetent patients, usually considered as asymptomatic, is now suspected to be a risk factor for various neurological disorders, including epilepsy. We aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the available literature to estimate the risk of epilepsy due to toxoplasmosis. Methods A systematic literature search was conducted of several databases and journals to identify studies published in English or French, without date restriction, which looked at toxoplasmosis (as exposure) and epilepsy (as disease) and met certain other inclusion criteria. The search was based on keywords and suitable combinations in English and French. Fixed and random effects models were used to determine odds ratios, and statistical significance was set at 5.0%. Principal findings Six studies were identified, with an estimated total of 2888 subjects, of whom 1280 had epilepsy (477 positive for toxoplasmosis) and 1608 did not (503 positive for toxoplasmosis). The common odds ratio (calculated) by random effects model was 2.25 (95% CI 1.27-3.9), p = 0.005. Conclusions Despite the limited number of studies, and a lack of high-quality data, toxoplasmosis should continue to be regarded as an epilepsy risk factor. More and better studies are needed to determine the real impact of this parasite on the occurrence of epilepsy

Tagged: active convulsive epilepsy, central-nervous-system, congenital toxoplasmosis, cryptogenic epilepsy, gondii infection, latent toxoplasmosis, prevalence, risk factors, seropositivity rates, sub-saharan africa

Physical healthReviews

Latent toxoplasmosis and human

January 10, 2012
Dalimi, A., Abdoli, A.
Iranian Journal of Parasitology 2012; 7: 1-17
Click for abstract
Toxoplasmosis is one of the most common parasitic diseases worldwide. Although estimated that one third of the world's population are infected with Toxoplasma gondii, but the most common form of the disease is latent (asymptomatic). On the other hand, recent findings indicated that latent toxoplasmosis is not only unsafe for human, but also may play various roles in the etiology of different mental disorders. This paper reviews new findings about importance of latent toxoplasmosis (except in immunocompromised patients) in alterations of behavioral parameters and also its role in the etiology of schizophrenia and depressive disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, Alzheimer's diseases and Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, headache and or migraine, mental retardation and intelligence quotients, suicide attempt, risk of traffic accidents, sex ratio and some possible mechanisms of T gondii that could contribute in the etiology of these alterations.

Tagged: 1st-episode schizophrenia, alzheimers-disease, behavioral parameter, congenital toxoplasmosis, cryptogenic epilepsy, gondii infection, kynurenic acid, mental disorder, parasite toxoplasma, parkinson's disease, serum interleukin-6, taxoplasma gondii, toxoplasmosis, traffic accidents

BehaviorCognitive functionsMental healthReviews

The probable relation between Toxoplasma gondii and Parkinson’s disease

October 19, 2010
Miman, O., Kusbeci, O. Y., Aktepe, O. C., Cetinkaya, Z.
Neuroscience Letters 2010; 475: 129-131
Click for abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD), a chronic progressive neurodegenerative disorder, has a mainly unknown multifactorial etiology. Neuroinflammatory mechanisms might contribute to the cascade of events leading to neuronal degeneration. Toxoplasmosis can be associated with various neuropsychiatric disorders. The most commonly affected central nervous system (CNS) region in toxoplasmosis is the cerebral hemisphere, followed by the basal ganglia, cerebellum and brain stem. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to investigate the possible association between Toxoplasma infection and PD by evaluating the serum anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgG antibodies. There were no difference between the socioeconomic status of the patients and control subjects and magnetic resonance images of the patients were normal. Serum anti-T. gondii IgG levels were measured using ELISA. There was no statistically significant differences among the patients and control subjects with respect to age (66.01 +/- 12.14 years, 62.42 +/- 5.93 years, p = 0.089; respectively) and gender. The sero-positivity rate for anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies in PD patients and control groups were 42.3 and 22.5%, respectively, and they were statistically significant (p = 0.006). These results suggest that Toxoplasma infection may be involved in the pathogenetic mechanisms of PD. If confirmed, this hypothesis would represent a valuable advancement in care of patients with Parkinson's disease. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tagged: antibodies, brain, cryptogenic epilepsy, encephalitis, host, infection, metaanalysis, mice, neurodegeneration, neuroinflammation, neurons, parkinson's disease, Schizophrenia, Toxoplasma gondii, toxoplasmosis

Mental health

May Toxoplasma gondii increase suicide attempt – preliminary results in Turkish subjects?

October 19, 2010
Yagmur, F., Yazar, S., Temel, H. O., Cavusoglu, M.
Forensic Science International 2010; 199: 15-17
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Suicide attempts are one of the risk factors of suicide. Possible mechanisms by which Toxoplasma gondii may affect human behavior and it may also cause humans to attempt suicide. The aim of this study is to find out whether or not T. gondii is one of the reasons in suicide attempts. We investigated the seropositivity level for anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in subjects who have attempted to suicide to find out whether there is a probable relationship between T. gondii and suicide attempts. In our study, we selected 200 cases of suicide attempts and 200 healthy volunteers. The sero-positivity level for anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibodies among suicide attempts (41%) was significantly higher than the control group (28%). This signifies that there might be a causal relationship between toxoplasmosis and the etiology of suicide attempt. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tagged: acquired toxoplasmosis, cryptogenic epilepsy, elisa, encephalits, host, human-behavior, impact, neurons, parasites, rats, rattus-norvegicus, suicide attempt, Toxoplasma gondii

BehaviorMental health

Toxoplasma gondii: host-parasite interaction and behavior manipulation

October 26, 2009
da Silva, R.C., Langoni, H.
Parasitology Research 2009; 105: 893-898
Click for abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite that causes different lesions in men and other warm-blooded animals. Humoral and cellular immune response of the host against the parasite keeps the protozoan in a latent stage, and clinical disease ensues when immunological response is compromised. Brain parasitism benefits the parasite causing behavioral changes in the host, not only in animals but also in humans. Schizophrenia and epilepsy are two neurological disorders that have recently been reported to affect humans coinfected with T. gondii. Further studies based on host-parasite interaction in several wild or domestic warm-blooded species are still necessary in order to better understand parasitism and behavioral changes caused by T. gondii.

Tagged: brain, Cerebral toxoplasmosis, cryptogenic epilepsy, infection, mortality, odors, personality, rats, Schizophrenia, women

Mental health

Is Toxoplasma gondii a causal agent in migraine?

October 26, 2009
Koseoglu E, Yazar S, Koc I.
American Journal of the Medical Sciences 2009; 338: 120-122.
Click for abstract
Background: Many different tissues may be parasitized by Toxoplasma gondii, particularly, lung, heart, lymphoid organs, and the central nervous tissues. Tissue cysts of this parasite in the brain may spontaneously rupture, releasing parasites that cause antibody titers to rise. In immunocompetent subjects with acquired toxoplasmosis, the most frequent symptoms were lymphadenopathy and headache. In the neurogenic inflammation theory of the pathogenesis of migraine, the cause of initial release of ions and inflammatory agents has not been established. In this study, we aimed to investigate if T gondii infection is a possible cause of neurogenic inflammation of migraines. Methods: The anti-T gondii antibody status of 104 patients with migraine were studied and compared with those of control groups, 50 healthy subjects and 50 subjects with headache due to rhinosinusitis, by using a micro-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique. Results: Forty-six (44.2%) patients with migraine, 13 (26.0%) healthy control subjects, and 12 (24%) control subjects with rhinosinusitis were positive for anti-T gondii IgG antibody. The rate of positivity in the migraine patient group was statistically different from those of the control groups (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The results show the presence of chronic Toxoplasma infection in patients with migraine. Toxoplasma infection may contribute to neurogenic inflammation as the pathogenesis of migraine, as many studies in the literature have reported that Toxoplasma infection causes biochemical and immunologic changes.

Tagged: central-nervous-system, cryptogenic epilepsy, depression, elisa, encephalitis, expression, in-vitro, migraine, neurogenic inflammation, nitric-oxide synthase, replication, Schizophrenia, Toxoplasma gondii

Physical health

Epilepsy and seropositivity rates of Toxocara canis and Toxoplasma gondii

October 27, 2007
Akyol, A., Bicerol, B., Ertug, S., Ertabaklar, H., Kiylioglu, N.
Seizure-European Journal of Epilepsy 2007; 16: 233-237.
Click for abstract
Purpose: Increased seropositivity for Toxoplasma gondii and Toxocara canis have been observed in epileptic patients. Our aim is to determine whether there is any relationship between these agents and epilepsy in our cryptogenic epilepsy group. Material and methods: We studied specific IgG antibodies against T gondii and T canis in 100 cryptogenic epileptic patients and 50 healthy volunteers that had no history of epilepsy in their first degree relatives. We studied T gondii and T canis-specific IgG antibody serum levels and compared the values of these two groups. Result: We found similar T gondii and T canis serum IgG antibodies in patients with cryptogenic epilepsy and in the control group, even though the control group included more animal owners. Conclusion: We did not show any relationships between epilepsy and positive T gondii and T canis serology in our epileptic patients. (c) 2006 British Epilepsy Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tagged: children, cryptogenic epilepsy, Epidemiology, epilepsy, infection, larvae, parasites, toxocara canis, Toxoplasma gondii

Physical 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
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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

Cryptogenic epilepsy: an infectious etiology?

November 7, 2001
Stommel, E. W., Seguin, R., Thadani, V. M., Schwartzman, J. D., Gilbert, K., Ryan, K. A., Tosteson, T. D., Kasper, L. H.
Epilepsia 2001; 42: 436-438
Click for abstract
Purpose: Cryptogenic epilepsy, the group of epilepsy syndromes for which an etiology is unknown, comprises similar to 20% of all epilepsy syndromes. We selected patients in this subgroup of epilepsy and tested them for evidence of Toxoplasma gondii IgG antibodies by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. T. gondii is found in up to 20% of the U.S. population forming dormant brain cysts in the latent bradyzoite form. We investigated the hypothesis that dormant T. gondii infection might be associated with cryptogenic epilepsy. Methods: We selected patients with cryptogenic epilepsies and tested them for evidence of T. gondii IgG antibodies by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A control group was also tested for comparison. Results: We have found a statistically-significant elevation of T. gondii antibodies among cryptogenic epilepsy patients as compared to controls [59% increase in optical density (OD), p = 0.013]. This association persisted after adjustment for subjects' gender and age in a multiple logistic regression model; however, it was no longer as statistically significant. Conclusions: Our results suggest that chronic T. gondii infection with brain cysts may be a cause of cryptogenic epilepsy.

Tagged: bradyzoite, cryptogenic epilepsy, encephalitis, Epidemiology, host-parasite relationship, minnesota, parasitic infections, population, rochester, seizures, Toxoplasma gondii

Physical health

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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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