women – Toxoplasma gondii & Human Phenotype

Depressiveness and neuroticism in Bartonella seropositive and seronegative subjects-preregistered case-controls study

September 3, 2018
Flegr, J., Preiss, M., Balatova, P.
Frontiers in Psychiatry 2018; 9

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Lower performance of Toxoplasma-infected, Rh-negative subjects in the weight holding and hand-grip tests

September 3, 2018
Flegr, J., Sebankova, B., Priplatova, L., Chvatalova, V., Kankova, S.
PLoS ONE 2018; 13

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Toxoplasma gondii infection and behavioral outcomes in humans: a systematic review

February 12, 2018
Martinez, V. O. , Lima, F. W. D., . de Carvalho, C. F, Menezes, J. A.
Parasitology Research 2018; 117: 3059-3065

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Toxoplasma gondii exposure and the risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents

February 12, 2018
Khademvatan, S. , Riahi,F., Izadi-Mazidi,M. , Khajeddin, N., Yousefi, E.
Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal 2018; 37: 1097-1100

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The potential risk of toxoplasmosis for traffic accidents: A systematic review and meta-analysis

February 12, 2018
Gohardehi, S. , Sharif, M. , Sarvi, S., Moosazadeh, M., Alizadeh-Navaei,R., Hosseini,S. A., Amouei,A. , Pagheh, A. , Sadeghi , M., Daryani, A.
Experimental Parasitology 2018; 191: 19-24

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Seroepidemiological study of Toxoplasma gondii infection among psychiatric patients in Mashhad, Northeast of Iran

October 3, 2017
Abdollahian, E., Shafiei, R., Mokhber, N., Kalantar, K., Fata, A.
Iranian Journal of Parasitology 2017; 12: 117-122

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No association between current depression and latent toxoplasmosis in adults

October 6, 2016
Gale, S. D., Berrett, A. N., Brown, B., Erickson, L. D., Hedges, D. W.
Folia Parasitologica 2016; 63: DOI 10.14411/fp.2016.032

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Changes in behaviour and cognition have been associated with latent infection from the apicomplexan protozoan Toxoplasma gondii (Nicolle et Manceaux, 1908) in both animal and human studies. Further, neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia have also been associated with latent toxoplasmosis. Previously, we found no association between T. gondii immunoglobulin G antibody (IgG) seropositivity and depression in human adults between the ages of 20 and 39 years (n = 1 846) in a sample representative of the United States collected by the Centers for Disease Control as part of a National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from three datasets collected between 1999-2004. In the present study, we used NHANES data collected between 2009 and 2012 that included subjects aged 20 to 80 years (n = 5 487) and used the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) to assess depression with the overall aim of testing the stability of the results of the prior study. In the current study, the seroprevalence of T. gondii was 13%. The percentage of subjects reporting clinical levels of depression assessed with the PHQ-9 was 8%. As before, we found no association between T. gondii IgG seroprevalence and depression (OR = 1.01, 95% CI = 0.81-1.25; p = 0.944) while controlling for sex, educational attainment, race-ethnicity, age, poverty-to-income ratio and cigarette smoking. We also found no positive associations between anti-T. gondii antibody titre and depression (OR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.96-1.06; p = 0.868). Moreover, we found no association between T. gondii seroprevalence or antibody titre and suicidal ideation (seroprevalence: OR = 1.22, 95% CI =.85-1.75; p = 0.277, titre: OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 0.98-1.14; p = 0.177). Defining depression to also include subjects currently taking antidepressant medication even with non-elevated questionnaires did not find evidence of a positive association between latent toxoplasmosis and depression. In the present study, neither T. gondii seroprevalence nor anti-T. gondii antibody titre was positively associated with depression or suicidal ideation among subjects aged 20 to 80 years.

Influence of Toxoplasma gondii infection on symptoms and signs of premenstrual syndrome: A cross-sectional study.

September 4, 2016
Alvarado-Esquivel, C., Sanchez-Anguiano, L. F., Hernandez-Tinoco, J., Perez-Alamos, A. R., Rico-Almochantaf, Y. D., Estrada-Martinez, S., Vaquera-Enriquez, R., Diaz-Herrera, A., Ramos-Nevarez, A., Sandoval-Carrillo, A. A., Salas-Pacheco, J. M., Cerrillo-Soto, S. M., Antuna-Salcido, E. I., Liesenfeld, O., Guido-Arreola, C. A.
European Journal of Microbiology and Immunology 2016; 6: 298-305

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Seroprevalence and associated risk factors of Toxoplasma gondii infection in psychiatric patients: a case-control study in eastern China

May 25, 2015
Cong, W., Dong, W., Bai, L., Wang, X. Y., Ni, X. T., Qian, A. D., Zhu, X. Q.
Epidemiology and Infection 2015; 143: 3103-3109

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Worse health status and higher incidence of health disorders in Rhesus negative subjects

May 25, 2015
Flegr, J., Hoffmann, R., Dammann, M.
Plos One; RTN e0141362 10.1371/journal.pone.0141362

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Lack of association between Toxoplasma gondii infection and hypertensive disorders in pregnancy: a case-control study in a Northern Mexican population

October 10, 2014
Alvarado-Esquivel, C., Vazquez-Alaniz, F., Sandoval-Carrillo, A. A., Salas-Pacheco, J. M., Hernandez-Tinoco, J., Sanchez-Anguiano, L. F., Liesenfeld, O.
Parasites & Vectors 2014; 7

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Is latent infection with Toxoplasma gondii a risk factor for suicidal behavior?

October 11, 2013
Postolache, T.T., Cook, T.B.
Expert Review of Anti-Infective Therapy 2013; 11: 339-342

Toxoplasma gondii: bystander or cofactor in rheumatoid arthritis

October 11, 2013
Fischer, S., Agmon-Levin, N., Shapira, Y., Katz, B. S., Graell, E., Cervera, R., Stojanovich, L., Puerta, J. A. G., Sanmarti, R., Shoenfeld, Y.
Immunologic Research 2013; 56: 287-292

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Seroepidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii infection in drivers involved in road traffic accidents in the metropolitan area of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

October 10, 2013
Galvan-Ramirez, M. D., Sanchez-Orozco, L. V., Rodriguez, L. R., Rodriguez, S., Roig-Melo, E., Sanroman, R. T., Chiquete, E., Armendariz-Borunda, J.
In: Parasites & Vectors 2013;6:10.1186/1756-3305-6-294

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Background: The prevalence of toxoplasmosis in the general population of Guadalajara, Mexico, is around 32%. Toxoplasmosis can cause ocular lesions and slowing of reaction reflexes. Latent toxoplasmosis has been related with traffic accidents. We aimed to assess the prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies and visual impairments related with traffic accidents in drivers from the metropolitan Guadalajara. Methods: We prospectively evaluated the prevalence of IgG and IgM anti-T. gondii antibodies in 159 individuals involved in traffic accidents, and in 164 control drivers never involved in accidents. Cases of toxoplasmosis reactivation or acute infection were detected by PCR in a subset of 71 drivers studied for the presence of T. gondii DNA in blood samples. Ophthalmologic examinations were performed in drivers with IgG anti-T. gondii antibodies in search of ocular toxoplasmosis. Results: Fifty-four (34%) traffic accident drivers and 59 (36%) controls were positive to IgG anti-T. gondii antibodies (p = 0.70). Among the 113 seropositive participants, mean anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies titers were higher in traffic accident drivers than in controls (237.9 +/- 308.5 IU/ml vs. 122.9 +/- 112.7 IU/ml, respectively; p = 0.01 by Student's t test, p = 0.037 by Mann-Whitney U test). In multivariate analyses, anti-T. gondii IgG antibody titers were consistently associated with an increased risk of traffic accidents, whereas age showed an inverse association. The presence of IgM-anti-T. gondii antibodies was found in three (1.9%) subjects among traffic accident drives, and in two (1.2%) controls. Three (4.2%) samples were positive for the presence of T. gondii DNA, all among seropositive individuals. No signs of ocular toxoplasmosis were found in the entire cohort. Moreover, no other ocular conditions were found to be associated with the risk of traffic accidents in a multivariate analysis. Conclusions: Anti-T. gondii antibody titers are associated with the risk of traffic accidents. We could not determine any association of ocular toxoplasmosis with traffic accidents. Our results warrant further analyses in order to clarify the link between toxoplasmosis and traffic accidents

Rhesus factor modulation of effects of smoking and age on psychomotor performance, intelligence, personality profile, and health in Czech soldiers

January 9, 2012
Flegr, J., Geryk, J., Volny, J., Klose, J., Cernochova, D.
Plos One 2012; 7: ARTN e49478 10.1371/journal.pone.0049478

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Parasitic infections and pregnancy complications

October 29, 2011
Pavlinova, J., Kincekova, J., Ostro, A., Saksun, L., Vasilkova, Z., Konigova, A.
Helminthologia 2011; 48: 8-12

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Modulation of immunity in mice with latent toxoplasmosis-the experimental support for the immunosuppression hypothesis of Toxoplasma-induced changes in reproduction of mice and humans

January 8, 2010
Kankova, S., Holan, V., Zajicova, A., Kodym, P., Flegr, J.
Parasitology Research 2010; 107: 1421-1427

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Toxoplasma gondii: host-parasite interaction and behavior manipulation

October 26, 2009
da Silva, R.C., Langoni, H.
Parasitology Research 2009; 105: 893-898

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Brief communication: Latent toxoplasmosis and salivary testosterone concentration-important confounding factors in second to fourth digit ratio studies

January 9, 2008
Flegr, J., Lindova, J., Pivonkova, V., Havlicek, J.
American Journal of Physical Anthropology 2008; 137: 479-484

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A sexually dimorphic characteristic, the second to fourth digit ratio (2D:4D ratio), has been shown to reflect the prenatal concentration of sex steroid hormones and to correlate with many personality, physiological, and life history traits. The correlations are usually stronger for the right than the left hand. Most studies have shown that the 2D:4D ratio does not vary with age or postnatal concentration of sex steroid hormones. Recently, a strong association between left hand 2D:4D ratio and infection with a common human parasite Toxoplasma has been reported. We hypothesized that the confounding effect of Toxoplasma infection on left hand 2D:4D ratio could be responsible for the stronger association between different traits and right hand rather than left hand 2D:4D ratio. This confounding effect of toxoplasmosis could also be responsible for the difficulty in finding an association between 2D:4D ratio and age or postnatal steroid hormone concentration. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed the association between sex and age and 2D:4D ratio in a population of 194 female and 106 male students with and without controlling for the confounding variables of Toxoplasma infection and testosterone concentration. Our results showed that the relationship between age and sex and 2D:4D ratio increased sharply when Toxoplasma infection and testosterone concentration were controlled. These results suggest that left hand 2D:4D ratio is more susceptible to postnatal influences and that the confounding factors of Toxoplasma infection, testosterone concentration and possibly also age, should be controlled in future 2D:4D ratio studies. Because of a stronger 2D:4D dimorphism in Toxoplasma-infected than Toxoplasma-free subjects, we predict that 2D:4D ratio dimorphism as well as right hand/left hand 2D:4D ratio dimorphism will be higher in countries with a high prevalence of Toxoplasma infection than in those with a low prevalence. Am J Phys Anthropol 137:479-484, 2008. (C) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.