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Toxoplasma gondii & Human Phenotype

Compendium of Known Effects and Ongoing Research

parasitic infection

Toxoplasma gondii serointensity and seropositivity: Heritability and household-related associations in the old order Amish

January 30, 2020
Duffy, A. R., O'Connell, J. R., Pavlovich, M., Ryan, K. A., Lowry, C. A., Daue, M., Raheja, U. K., Brenner, L. A., Markon, A. O., Punzalan, C. M., Dagdag, A., Hill, D. E., Pollin, T. I., Seyfang, A., Groer, M. W., Mitchell, B. D., Postolache, T. T.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2019, 19
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Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is an intracellular parasite infecting one third of the world's population. Latent T. gondii infection has been associated with mental illness, including schizophrenia and suicidal behavior. T. gondii IgG antibody titers were measured via ELISA. The heritability of T. gondii IgG was estimated using a mixed model that included fixed effects for age and sex and random kinship effect. Of 2017 Old Order Amish participants, 1098 had positive titers (54.4%). The heritability for T. gondii serointensity was estimated to be 0.22 (p = 1.7 x 10(-8) and for seropositivity, it was estimated to be 0.28 (p = 1.9 x 10(-5)). Shared household environmental effects (i.e., household effects) were also determined. Household effects, modeled as a random variable, were assessed as the phenotypic covariance between any two individuals who had the same current address (i.e., contemporaneous household), and nuclear household (i.e., the phenotypic covariance between parents and children only, not other siblings or spouses). Household effects did not account for a significant proportion of variance in either T. gondii serointensity or T. gondii seropositivity. Our results suggest a significant familial aggregation of T. gondii serointensity and seropositivity with significant heritability. The shared household does not contribute significantly to family aggregation with T. gondii, suggesting that there are possible unmeasured non-household shared and non-shared environmental factors that may play a significant role. Furthermore, the small but significant heritability effects justify the exploration of genetic vulnerability to T. gondii exposure, infection, virulence, and neurotropism.

Tagged: aggression, mental llness, parasitic infection, Toxoplasma gondi

Mental health

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

May 9, 2018
Akaltun, I., Kara, S.S., Kara, T.
Nordic Journal of Psychiatry 2018; 72: 57-62
Click for abstract
Aim:Toxoplasma gondii may play a role in the development of psychiatric diseases by affecting the brain. The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between serum toxoplasma IgG positivity and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in children and adolescents.Method: Sixty patients diagnosed with OCD and 60 patients with GAD presenting to the pediatric psychiatry clinic, together with 60 control group subjects with no psychiatric diagnosis, were included in the study. The patients were administered the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children and the Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale. Serum toxoplasma IgG levels were determined from blood specimens collected from the study and control groups. The results were then compared using statistical methods.Results: State and trait anxiety levels were significantly higher in the OCD and GAD patients than in the control group (p=.0001/.0001). Serum toxoplasma IgG levels were positive in 21 (35%) of the OCD patients, 19 (31.7%) of the GAD patients and 6 (10%) of the control group. A significant relation was determined between IgG positivity and GAD (p=.003). IgG-positive individuals were determined to have a 4.171-fold greater risk of GAD compared to those without positivity (4.171[1.529-11.378]) (p=.005). A significant relation was also determined between IgG positivity and OCD (p=.001). IgG-positive individuals were determined to have a 4.846-fold greater risk of OCD compared to those without positivity (4.846[1.789-13.126]) (p=.002).Conclusion: This study shows that serum toxoplasma IgG positivity indicating previous toxoplasma infection increased the risk of GAD 4.171-fold and the risk of OCD 4.846-fold in children and adolescents. Further studies are now needed to investigate the relation between T. gondii infection and GAD/OCD and to determine the pathophysiology involved.

Tagged: generalized anxiety, mental disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, parasitic infection, Toxoplasma gondii

Mental health

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Recent articles

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