Abstract
BackgroundInfection with the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii may cause liver disease. However, the impact of the infection in patients suffering from liver disease is unknown. Therefore, through a case-control study design, 75 adult liver disease patients attending a public hospital in Durango City, Mexico, and 150 controls from the general population of the same region matched by gender, age, and residence were examined with enzyme-linked immunoassays for the presence of anti-Toxoplasma IgG and anti-Toxoplasma IgM antibodies. Socio-demographic, clinical and behavioral characteristics from the study subjects were obtained.ResultsSeroprevalence of anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibodies and IgG titers did not differ significantly in patients (10/75; 13.3%) and controls (16/150; 10.7%). Two (2.7%) patients and 5 (3.3%) controls had anti-Toxoplasma IgM antibodies (P = 0.57). Seropositivity to Toxoplasma did not show any association with the diagnosis of liver disease. In contrast, seropositivity to Toxoplasma in patients was associated with consumption of venison and quail meat. Toxoplasma seropositivity was more frequent in patients with reflex impairment (27.8%) than in patients without this impairment (8.8%) (P = 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that Toxoplasma seropositivity in patients was associated with consumption of sheep meat (OR = 8.69; 95% CI: 1.02-73.71; P = 0.04) and rabbit meat (OR = 4.61; 95% CI: 1.06-19.98; P = 0.04).ConclusionsSeropositivity to Toxoplasma was comparable among liver disease patients and controls. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to elucidate the association of Toxoplasma with liver disease. Consumption of venison, and rabbit, sheep, and quail meats may warrant further investigation.
Highlights
Infection with the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii may cause liver disease
We investigated socio-demographic, clinical, and behavioral characteristics associated with T. gondii seropositivity in these patients
Liver disease patients Seventy five outpatients attended in the Gastroenterology Department of a public secondary-care hospital (Mexican Social Security Institute) in Durango City, Mexico were enrolled in the study
Summary
Infection with the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii may cause liver disease. The impact of the infection in patients suffering from liver disease is unknown. Through a case-control study design, 75 adult liver disease patients attending a public hospital in Durango City, Mexico, and 150 controls from the general population of the same region matched by gender, age, and residence were examined with enzymelinked immunoassays for the presence of anti-Toxoplasma IgG and anti-Toxoplasma IgM antibodies. Human infection with the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii occurs worldwide [1,2]. Major routes of T. gondii infections include ingesting food or water that is contaminated with oocysts shed by cats or by eating undercooked or raw meat containing tissue cysts [2,3,4]. The clinical spectrum of T. gondii infection varies from an asymptomatic state to severe illness. The parasite has been associated with a number of pathological changes including hepatomegaly, Methods
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