Is latent Toxoplasma gondii infection associated with the occurrence of schizophrenia? A case-control study.
<h4>Introduction</h4>Neurotropic pathogens such as Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) which result in chronic infections in the brain are associated with mental illnesses. In view of this, a growing body of literature has revealed the possible interaction of schizophrenia and T. gondii infect...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2022-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0270377 |
| _version_ | 1811217474361753600 |
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| author | Muluneh Ademe Tadesse Kebede Tadesse Kebede Solomon Teferra Melkam Alemayehu Friehiwot Girma Tamrat Abebe |
| author_facet | Muluneh Ademe Tadesse Kebede Tadesse Kebede Solomon Teferra Melkam Alemayehu Friehiwot Girma Tamrat Abebe |
| author_sort | Muluneh Ademe |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <h4>Introduction</h4>Neurotropic pathogens such as Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) which result in chronic infections in the brain are associated with mental illnesses. In view of this, a growing body of literature has revealed the possible interaction of schizophrenia and T. gondii infection.<h4>Method</h4>A case-control study was conducted from February 2018 to January 2019 among 47 Schizophrenia patients and 47 age and sex-matched controls. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire. Serum was used for serological analysis of anti-T. gondii IgG and IgM antibodies through chemiluminescent immunoassay. Proportions and mean with standard deviations (SD) were used as descriptive measures and variables with p-values <0.05 were considered as statistically significant and independently associated with schizophrenia.<h4>Result</h4>The mean ages of schizophrenia patients and controls were 29.64 ± 5.8 yrs and 30.98 ± 7.3 yrs, respectively. We found that 81.9% (77/94) of the study subjects had a positive anti-T. gondii IgG antibody. While the difference is statistically insignificant, schizophrenic patients have a marginally higher seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis than controls (87.2% vs 80.9%; p = 0.398). Schizophrenia cases who live in homes with soil floors have a significantly higher T. gondii infection as compared to those who live in homes with cement/ceramic floors (90.9% vs 33.3%; p = 0.004). Furthermore, there was a significantly lower T. gondii infection among schizophrenic cases who were taking antipsychotic medication for more than three yrs (79.3% vs 100.0%, p = 0.039). On the other hand, among all study subjects who have T. gondii infection, subjects who are addicted to khat and alcohol were about seven times more likely to develop schizophrenia (71.4% vs 47.7%, OR = 7.13, p = 0.024).<h4>Conclusion</h4>Our data is not sufficient to show a significant positive correlation between T. gondii infection and schizophrenia. For study subjects with T. gondii infection, addiction to khat and alcohol is one of the risk factors for schizophrenia. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T06:55:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f275f9a524534abd971a9ff05cb84008 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T06:55:26Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-f275f9a524534abd971a9ff05cb840082022-12-22T03:43:11ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032022-01-01176e027037710.1371/journal.pone.0270377Is latent Toxoplasma gondii infection associated with the occurrence of schizophrenia? A case-control study.Muluneh AdemeTadesse KebedeTadesse KebedeSolomon TeferraMelkam AlemayehuFriehiwot GirmaTamrat Abebe<h4>Introduction</h4>Neurotropic pathogens such as Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) which result in chronic infections in the brain are associated with mental illnesses. In view of this, a growing body of literature has revealed the possible interaction of schizophrenia and T. gondii infection.<h4>Method</h4>A case-control study was conducted from February 2018 to January 2019 among 47 Schizophrenia patients and 47 age and sex-matched controls. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire. Serum was used for serological analysis of anti-T. gondii IgG and IgM antibodies through chemiluminescent immunoassay. Proportions and mean with standard deviations (SD) were used as descriptive measures and variables with p-values <0.05 were considered as statistically significant and independently associated with schizophrenia.<h4>Result</h4>The mean ages of schizophrenia patients and controls were 29.64 ± 5.8 yrs and 30.98 ± 7.3 yrs, respectively. We found that 81.9% (77/94) of the study subjects had a positive anti-T. gondii IgG antibody. While the difference is statistically insignificant, schizophrenic patients have a marginally higher seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis than controls (87.2% vs 80.9%; p = 0.398). Schizophrenia cases who live in homes with soil floors have a significantly higher T. gondii infection as compared to those who live in homes with cement/ceramic floors (90.9% vs 33.3%; p = 0.004). Furthermore, there was a significantly lower T. gondii infection among schizophrenic cases who were taking antipsychotic medication for more than three yrs (79.3% vs 100.0%, p = 0.039). On the other hand, among all study subjects who have T. gondii infection, subjects who are addicted to khat and alcohol were about seven times more likely to develop schizophrenia (71.4% vs 47.7%, OR = 7.13, p = 0.024).<h4>Conclusion</h4>Our data is not sufficient to show a significant positive correlation between T. gondii infection and schizophrenia. For study subjects with T. gondii infection, addiction to khat and alcohol is one of the risk factors for schizophrenia.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0270377 |
| spellingShingle | Muluneh Ademe Tadesse Kebede Tadesse Kebede Solomon Teferra Melkam Alemayehu Friehiwot Girma Tamrat Abebe Is latent Toxoplasma gondii infection associated with the occurrence of schizophrenia? A case-control study. PLoS ONE |
| title | Is latent Toxoplasma gondii infection associated with the occurrence of schizophrenia? A case-control study. |
| title_full | Is latent Toxoplasma gondii infection associated with the occurrence of schizophrenia? A case-control study. |
| title_fullStr | Is latent Toxoplasma gondii infection associated with the occurrence of schizophrenia? A case-control study. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Is latent Toxoplasma gondii infection associated with the occurrence of schizophrenia? A case-control study. |
| title_short | Is latent Toxoplasma gondii infection associated with the occurrence of schizophrenia? A case-control study. |
| title_sort | is latent toxoplasma gondii infection associated with the occurrence of schizophrenia a case control study |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0270377 |
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