Toxoplasma gondii infection and multiple sclerosis: An age- and a gender-matched case-control seroprevalence study

AbstractThe link between Toxoplasma gondii infection and multiple sclerosis remains controversial. In the present study, we aimed to determine the association between T. gondii seropositivity and multiple sclerosis. Using an age- and gender-matched case-control study, we studied 45 patients who had multiple sclerosis attended in two public hospitals and 225 control subjects without this disease and other neurological disorders in Durango City, Mexico. Serum samples of cases and controls were analyzed for detection of anti-Toxoplasma IgG using a commercially available enzyme-linked immunoassay. One (2.22%) of the 45 patients with multiple sclerosis, and 15 (6.67%) of the 225 control subjects without this disease were seropositive for anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies. No statistically significant difference (OR = 0.31; 95% CI: 0.04–2.47; P = 0.48) in seroprevalence of anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies between cases and controls was found. The frequency of T. gondii seropositivity did not vary among cases and controls about sex or age groups. Results of this study do not support an association between seropositivity to T. gondii and multiple sclerosis. However, additional research with larger sample sizes to confirm this lack of association should be conducted.

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The Role of Toxoplasma gondii Infection Among Multiple Sclerosis Patient Compared to Ordinary People in South of Iran: A Case-Control Study

Modern Care Journal ◽

10.5812/modernc.105090 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Mahsa Rahnama ◽

Qasem Asgari ◽

Peiman Petramfar ◽

Davod Tasa ◽

Vahid Hemati ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Toxoplasma Gondii ◽

Case Control Study ◽

Case Control ◽

Control Group ◽

Ordinary People ◽

Serum Samples ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Control Study

Background: Toxoplasmosis is a common parasitic disease, which leads to serious disease symptoms in immunocompromised hosts and infants. Recent epidemiologic surveys showed that microbial agents may be associated with some cases of multiple sclerosis (MS). Objectives: This case-control study aimed to examine the role of Toxoplasma gondii in MS by evaluating sero-frequency of anti-T. gondii IgG (ATXAb) antibody between patients with MS and ordinary people in Shiraz Province, south of Iran during 2016 - 2018. Methods: Serum samples obtained from MS patients (n = 130), and a group of age and gender-matched controls (n = 130) with the same socioeconomic status with the patients’ group were collected to evaluate the prevalence of T. gondii IgG antibodies (ATXAb). Moreover, the presence of the ATXAb antibody of the patients and controls was determined by the ELISA test. SPSS 20 software was used to perform the statistical analysis (SPSS, inc., Chicago, USA). Results: Out of 130 (35.4%) cases with MS and 130 (13.8%) controls, 46 and 18 subjects were seropositive for ATXAb, respectively. Based on the chi-square test, a significant difference was observed in terms of the positivity rates of ATXAb between the MS patient group and the control group (P = 0.001). The mean ± standard deviation ATXAb levels in controls and MS patients were found to be 61 ± 34 and 114 ± 47 IU/mL, respectively. Also, there were statistically significant differences between the levels of these two groups (P = 0.001). Conclusions: Given the relationship between toxoplasmosis and MS, it is possible that the prevalence of MS decreases by increasing hygiene and preventing toxoplasmosis.

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Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Dustmen in Northeastern China: A Case-Control Seroprevalence Study

BioMed Research International ◽

10.1155/2018/3207675 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2018 ◽

pp. 1-5 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Ruo-Lan Jiang ◽

Quan Zhao ◽

Jing Jiang ◽

Xue-Long Chen ◽

Xiao-Xuan Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Toxoplasma Gondii ◽

First Record ◽

Case Control ◽

Northeastern China ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Serum Samples ◽

Igm Antibodies ◽

Control Subjects ◽

The Government ◽

At Home

Background. Toxoplasmosis is caused by an intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which can infect many hosts including humans. Methods. In order to estimate whether dustmen are more susceptible to T. gondii, a case-control study was conducted containing 332 dustmen from Jilin and Heilongjiang in Northeastern China, as well as 332 general populations from the same regions as control subjects. Serum samples were tested IgG and IgM antibodies to T. gondii using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results. The overall anti-T. gondii IgG was 15.06% (50/332) in dustmen compared with 9.64% (32/332) in the controls (P = 0.0337). Also, 5 (1.51%) dustmen had anti-T. gondii IgM antibodies compared with 2 (0.60%) control individuals (P = 0.2543). A significant association was only found between dustmen and level of T. gondii IgG in comparison with the control subjects. Seroprevalence of T. gondii IgG antibodies in male dustmen was significant higher than male control subjects (P = 0.0399). Dustmen from Jilin had the significant higher T. gondii IgG rate (P = 0.0143), in comparison with the control subjects from Jilin. Moreover, dustmen raising cat at home had the significant higher T. gondii IgG rate (P = 0.0097), in comparison with the control subjects. Risk factor analysis suggested that raising cat at home and not having habits of washing hand before eating were mainly related to the T. gondii infection in dustmen. Conclusions. This is the first record of seroprevalence of T. gondii infection in dustmen in Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces in Northeastern China. These findings also suggest that the government departments should pay close attention to the toxoplasmosis in dustmen in Northeastern China.

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Toxoplasma gondiiInfection in Pregnant Women: A Seroprevalence and Case-Control Study in Eastern China

BioMed Research International ◽

10.1155/2015/170278 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2015 ◽

pp. 1-6 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Wei Cong ◽

Xiao-Yan Dong ◽

Qing-Feng Meng ◽

Na Zhou ◽

Xiang-Yang Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pregnant Women ◽

Case Control Study ◽

Eastern China ◽

Case Control ◽

Limited Information ◽

Serum Samples ◽

Igm Antibodies ◽

Control Subjects ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Control Study

Very limited information is available concerning the epidemiology ofT. gondiiinfection in pregnant women in eastern China. Therefore, a case-control study was conducted to estimate the seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in this population group and to identify risk factors and possible routes of contamination. Serum samples were collected from 965 pregnant women and 965 age-matched nonpregnant control subjects in Qingdao and Weihai between October 2011 and July 2013. These were screened with enzyme linked immunoassays for the presence of anti-ToxoplasmaIgG and anti-ToxoplasmaIgM antibodies. 147 (15.2%) pregnant women and 167 (17.3%) control subjects were positive for anti-T. gondiiIgG antibodies, while 28 (2.9%) pregnant women and 37 (3.8%) controls were positive for anti-T. gondiiIgM antibodies (P=0.256). There was no significant difference between pregnant women and nonpregnant controls with regard to the seroprevalence of either anti-T. gondiiIgG or IgM antibodies. Multivariate analysis showed thatT. gondiiinfection was associated with location, cats in home, contact with cats and dogs, and exposure to soil. The results indicated that the seroprevalence ofT. gondiiinfection in pregnant women is high compared to most other regions of China and other East Asian countries with similar climatic conditions.

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Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Diabetes Mellitus Patients in China: Seroprevalence, Risk Factors, and Case-Control Studies

BioMed Research International ◽

10.1155/2018/4723739 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2018 ◽

pp. 1-9 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Yong-Xin Li ◽

Hai Xin ◽

Xiang-Yan Zhang ◽

Cui-Ying Wei ◽

Yu-He Duan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Diabetes Mellitus ◽

Risk Factors ◽

Toxoplasma Gondii ◽

Case Control ◽

Future Research ◽

Case Control Studies ◽

Serum Samples ◽

Control Subjects ◽

Toxoplasma Gondii Infection ◽

And Control

The association between Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) infection and diabetes mellitus remains controversial. With the improvement of living standards, the prevalence rate of diabetes is steadily increasing in China. Thus, it is necessary to explore the possible association between toxoplasmosis and diabetes mellitus in China. Hence, case-control studies were conducted to explore the T. gondii seroprevalence and identify the risk factors and possible transmission routes of T. gondii infection in different types of diabetes, including type 1 diabetes (T1DM), type 2 diabetes (T2DM), and gestational diabetes (GDM) patients in China. Four hundred serum samples for each type of diabetes mellitus, matched with 400 control subjects for each group, were collected and examined for anti-T. gondii IgG and IgM antibodies using commercially available enzyme immunoassay kits. The total T. gondii seroprevalence in T1DM, T2DM, and GDM patients was 16.50%, 23.50%, and 21.25%, respectively. Each type of diabetes mellitus patients had a significantly higher T. gondii seroprevalence than the control subjects. Multivariate regression identified three variables as risk factors for T. gondii infection in diabetes patients, including keeping cats at home and consumption of raw oysters for T1DM patients and consumption of raw/undercooked meat and raw oysters for T2DM patients, which may help to guide future research and control policies in diabetes mellitus patients.

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Toxoplasma gondii exposure and epilepsy: A matched case-control study in a public hospital in northern Mexico

SAGE Open Medicine ◽

10.1177/2050312118767767 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. 205031211876776 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Cosme Alvarado-Esquivel ◽

Yazmin del Rosario Rico-Almochantaf ◽

Jesús Hernández-Tinoco ◽

Gerardo Quiñones-Canales ◽

Luis Francisco Sánchez-Anguiano ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Toxoplasma Gondii ◽

Confidence Interval ◽

Odds Ratio ◽

Public Hospital ◽

Case Control Study ◽

Case Control ◽

Igg Antibodies ◽

Matched Case ◽

Matched Case Control Study ◽

Control Study

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the association between infection with Toxoplasma gondii and epilepsy in patients attended to in a public hospital in the northern Mexican city of Durango. Methods: We performed an age- and gender-matched case-control study of 99 patients suffering from epilepsy and 99 without epilepsy. Sera of participants were analyzed for anti- T. gondii IgG and IgM antibodies using commercially available enzyme-linked immunoassays. Seropositive samples to T. gondii were further analyzed for detection of T. gondii DNA by polymerase chain reaction. Results: Anti- T. gondii IgG antibodies were found in 10 (10.1%) of the 99 cases and in 6 (6.1%) of the 99 controls (odds ratio = 1.74; 95% confidence interval: 0.60–4.99; p = 0.43). High (> 150 IU/mL) levels of anti- T. gondii IgG antibodies were found in 6 of the 99 cases and in 4 of the 99 controls (odds ratio = 1.53; 95% confidence interval: 0.41–5.60; p = 0.74). Anti- T. gondii IgM antibodies were found in 2 of the 10 IgG seropositive cases, and in 2 of the 6 IgG seropositive controls (odds ratio = 0.50; 95% confidence interval: 0.05–4.97; p = 0.60). T. gondii DNA was not found in any of the 10 anti- T. gondii IgG positive patients. Bivariate analysis of IgG seropositivity to T. gondii and International Statistical Classification of Diseases and related Health Problems, 10th Edition codes of epilepsy showed an association between seropositivity and G40.1 code (odds ratio = 22.0; 95% confidence interval: 2.59–186.5; p = 0.008). Logistic regression analysis showed an association between T. gondii infection and consumption of goat meat (odds ratio = 6.5; 95% confidence interval: 1.22–34.64; p = 0.02), unwashed raw vegetables (odds ratio = 26.3; 95% confidence interval: 2.61–265.23; p = 0.006), and tobacco use (odds ratio = 6.2; 95% confidence interval: 1.06–36.66; p = 0.04). Conclusions: Results suggest that T. gondii infection does not increase the risk of epilepsy in our setting; however, infection might be linked to specific types of epilepsy. Factors associated with T. gondii infection found in this study may aid in the design of preventive measures against toxoplasmosis.

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Association between Toxoplasma gondii exposure and paediatrics haematological malignancies: a case–control study

Epidemiology and Infection ◽

10.1017/s0950268818002194 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 146 (15) ◽

pp. 1896-1902 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Narges Kalantari ◽

Javad Rezanejad ◽

Ahmad Tamadoni ◽

Salman Ghaffari ◽

Jaber Alipour ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Toxoplasma Gondii ◽

Lymphoblastic Leukaemia ◽

Case Control Study ◽

Case Control ◽

Case Group ◽

Haematological Malignancies ◽

Igg Antibodies ◽

Blood Cancer ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Control Study

AbstractThe possible association between Toxoplasma gondii infection and paediatric haematological malignancies in a group of patients and control subjects was evaluated in the present study. We performed an age-, gender- and residence frequency-matched case–control study of 101 blood cancer patients under 18 years of age, all of which were treated in Amirkola Pediatric Hospital. One hundred and thirty-eight control samples were gathered from the outpatient clinic in the hospital. All cases and controls were tested for the presence of anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibodies and then IgG-positive subjects were evaluated for IgM antibodies by enzyme-linked immunoassays. Anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies were found in 37 (36.6%) of the cases and 12 (8.7%) subjects in the control group (odds ratio 6.07, 95% confidence interval 2.963–12.437, P < 0.0001). The median and interquartile range (IQR) of IgG titre from case group (7.7 (IQR 0.25–13.5)) was higher than the control (0.2 (IQR 0.1–0.5)) (P < 0.0001). The frequency of anti-T. gondii antibodies (IgG) in lymphoblastic leukaemia (acute lymphoblastic leukaemia), Hodgkin's lymphoma and T–cell lymphoma were 33 (31.9%), 3 (50%) and 1(100%), respectively. Anti–T. gondii IgM was not detected in the IgG-positive patients in case group. In the case subjects, no significant difference was seen in the positive rates of T. gondii infection between genders (37.3% in male; 35.7% in female; P = 0.52) and ages groups (P = 0.31). This study demonstrated that T. gondii infection is prevalent in children with blood cancer. It also showed that toxoplasmosis may possibly be linked with an increased risk of childhood haematologic malignancies. Furthermore, these results may be helpful in research on blood neoplasia aetiology.

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Association between Suicide and Toxoplasma gondii Seropositivity

Pathogens ◽

10.3390/pathogens10091094 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (9) ◽

pp. 1094

Author(s):

Laura Alejandra Mendoza-Larios ◽

Fernando García-Dolores ◽

Luis Francisco Sánchez-Anguiano ◽

Jesús Hernández-Tinoco ◽

Cosme Alvarado-Esquivel

Keyword(s):

Toxoplasma Gondii ◽

Enzyme Immunoassay ◽

Statistical Power ◽

Age Groups ◽

Fluorescence Assay ◽

Igg Antibodies ◽

Serum Samples ◽

Igm Antibodies ◽

Power Of The Test ◽

Commit Suicide

This study aimed to determine the association between suicide and Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) seropositivity. Serum samples of 89 decedents who committed suicide (cases) and 58 decedents who did not commit suicide (controls) were tested for anti-T. gondii IgG and IgM antibodies using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Anti-T. gondii IgM antibodies were further detected by enzyme-linked fluorescence assay (ELFA). A total of 8 (9.0%) of the 89 cases and 6 (10.3%) of the 58 controls were positive for anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies (OR: 0.85; 95% CI: 0.28–2.60; p = 0.78). Anti-T. gondii IgG levels were higher than 150 IU/mL in two (2.2%) cases and in five (8.6%) controls (OR: 0.24; 95% CI: 0.04–1.30; p = 0.11). Anti-T. gondii IgM antibodies were not found in any case or control using the enzyme immunoassay and were found in only one (1.7%) control using ELFA (p = 0.39). Rates of IgG seropositivity and high levels of anti-T. gondii antibodies were similar in cases and in controls regardless of their sex or age groups. The results do not support an association between T. gondii seropositivity and suicide. However, the statistical power of the test was low. Further research is necessary to confirm this lack of association.

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Seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies in hospitalized patients at a tertiary referral center in North India (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.23937 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Dr. Animesh Ray ◽

Dr. Komal Singh ◽

Souvick Chattopadhyay ◽

Farha Mehdi ◽

Dr. Gaurav Batra ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tertiary Care ◽

Age Groups ◽

Hospitalized Patients ◽

North India ◽

P Value ◽

Care Hospital ◽

Igg Antibodies ◽

Igg Antibody ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Significant Difference

BACKGROUND Seroprevalence of IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 is an important tool to estimate the true extent of infection in a population. However, seroprevalence studies have been scarce in South East Asia including India, which, as of now, carries the third largest burden of confirmed cases in the world. The present study aimed to estimate the seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody among hospitalized patients at one of the largest government hospital in India OBJECTIVE The primary objective of this study is to estimate the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibody among patients admitted to the Medicine ward and ICU METHODS This cross-sectional study, conducted at a tertiary care hospital in North India, recruited consecutive patients who were negative for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR or CB-NAAT. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody levels targeting recombinant spike receptor-binding domain (RBD) protein of SARS CoV-2 were estimated in serum sample by the ELISA method RESULTS A total of 212 hospitalized patients were recruited in the study with mean age (±SD) of 41.2 (±15.4) years and 55% male population. Positive serology against SARS CoV-2 was detected in 19.8%patients(95% CI 14.7-25.8). Residency in Delhi conferred a higher frequency of seropositivity 26.5% (95% CI 19.3-34.7) as compared to that of other states 8% (95% CI 3.0-16.4) with p-value 0.001. No particular age groups or socio-economic strata showed a higher proportion of seropositivity CONCLUSIONS Around, one-fifth of hospitalized patients, who were not diagnosed with COVID-19 before, demonstrated seropositivity against SARS-CoV-2. While there was no significant difference in the different age groups and socio-economic classes; residence in Delhi was associated with increased risk (relative risk of 3.62, 95% CI 1.59-8.21)

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Patients with multiple sclerosis do not necessarily consume more alcohol or tobacco than the general population

Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria ◽

10.1590/0004-282x20150117 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 73 (10) ◽

pp. 828-833 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Yara Dadalti Fragoso ◽

Sidney Gomes ◽

Marcus Vinicius M. Goncalves ◽

Suzana C. Nunes Machado ◽

Rogerio de Rizo Morales ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Alcohol Consumption ◽

General Population ◽

Alcohol Misuse ◽

Case Control ◽

Control Population ◽

Higher Alcohol ◽

Control Subjects ◽

Culturally Different ◽

Transversal Study

Purpose Recent papers suggest that patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) are prone to alcohol misuse. This may be due to the combination of a lifelong and disabling disease with a psychiatric profile typical of MS. The objective of the present study was to assess these findings in a culturally different population of patients with MS.Method The present case-control transversal study assessed 168 patients with MS and 168 control subjects from Brazil.Results There were no evidence that patients with MS drank more alcohol or, smoked more than did controls. In fact, control subjects had a significantly higher alcohol consumption. The only trait associated to higher alcohol consumption was anxiety, both for patients and controls.Conclusion Unlike previous reports in the literature, patients with MS in our study did not drink or smoked more than a control population.

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Oligoclonal IgG bands in the cerebrospinal fluid of portuguese patients with multiple sclerosis: negative results indicate benign disease

Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria ◽

10.1590/s0004-282x2005000300001 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 63 (2b) ◽

pp. 375-379 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Maria José Sá ◽

Lucinda Sequeira ◽

Maria Edite Rio ◽

Edward J. Thompson

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Cerebrospinal Fluid ◽

Benign Disease ◽

Serum Samples ◽

Negative Results ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Relapsing Remitting ◽

The Mean ◽

Oligoclonal Igg ◽

Oligoclonal Igg Bands

We assessed the frequency of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) restricted oligoclonal IgG bands (IgG-OCB) in Portuguese multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and its relationship with outcome. Paired CSF/serum samples of 406 patients with neurological disorders were submitted to isoelectric focusing with immunodetection of IgG. Ninety-two patients had definite MS; non-MS cases were assembled in groups inflammatory/infectious diseases (ID, n=141) and other/controls (OD, n=173). We found in the MS group: mean duration, 38.9 months; clinically isolated syndromes, 24%; relapsing/remitting course (RR), 65%; in RR patients the mean EDSS was 2.1 and the mean index of progression was 0.31. Positive patterns significantly predominated in MS (82.6%; ID, 40.4%; OD, 3.5%). The sensitivity and the specificity of positive IgG-OCB for MS diagnosis was 82.6% and 79.9%, respectively. The sole statistically significant difference in the MS group was the lower progression index observed in negative cases. We conclude that the frequency of positive IgG-OCB patterns in our MS patients fits most values reported in the literature, and that negative results indicate benign disease.

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